The Town that Time Forgot
by ArtisteFish
Summary: Three years after the well closed, newly graduated Kagome is ready for one more adventure; she just wasn't expecting a red-haired boy and a black cat to whisk her away for priestess duties! Finding the well open and no Kagome on the other side, Inuyasha sets off to find her, with nothing to aide him but two odd martial artists and the mysterious name "Tomobiki".
1. Chapter 1

The Town that Time Forgot, Chapter One

* * *

"Congratulations, girls!"

She'd smiled during the ceremony just like they had, dabbing at her eye with a torn handkerchief as the speaker lauded their achievements and extolled their futures. The future… that's what everyone expected from her now.

"We all got accepted into university!"

The lie was for her friends' sake, really. To let them have this moment of glory without having to worry about her as they'd been worrying for the past three years. Her mother was well aware that every college application sat untouched and uncared for in a box under her desk. Her three friends likely knew as well, but they played along.

She'd graduated high school, and that was accomplishment enough. Once she'd feared a middle school education would be all she'd ever reach, and even that had nearly slipped from her grasp. But, looking back… she almost wished she'd just let it go to begin with. Then maybe she wouldn't be so plagued with 'what ifs' now.

They left the school grounds in silence. There wasn't much to discuss on the walk back to the shrine either – both her mother and grandfather knew enough to leave her with her thoughts. Had it been a normal day, perhaps they would have tried to distract her, to keep her from dwelling on all the things that could have been; but this was a landmark day. A day for change. A day to look forward to the future. And that meant letting go of the past.

But before she could let go… she had to face it first.

The well-house loomed tall and black like a tombstone, swallowing her in a mausoleum of memories. Each creak of the steps was a prayer she hoped was heard – whatever god or spirit held sway over the well, they had to know that someone still came here. Someone still needed to use this place. Reverent fingers traced the ancient wood at the lip of the well, feeling the grooves and dips where weight and wear had etched the structure's history. How many times had she gripped this wood with struggling hands as she pulled herself and her heavy pack over its edge? How many times had she been lifted out by clawed hands before she could even touch it? Were any of these grooves from those hours spent sitting atop the well, struggling with whether or not to face the boy who held her fragile heart in his unknowing grip? Or were they from impatient, folded arms as a young man sat brooding, waiting for her to come back from one home to another? How much of her life was ingrained in these wooden fibers? How much was she really willing to let go? How much of her past could she let die here in the dark?

'Inuyasha…' his name carried through her thoughts with familiar weightlessness, drifting without anything to anchor it down. She'd been drifting since he disappeared. 'I can't stop thinking that… maybe… the reason the well stopped working… was that my job was done, and I'm meant to live the rest of my life in this world.' Her hand gripped the wood with earnestness, the finality of her situation finally setting in. 'A world without you.' That's what it meant to live here – there was no 'Inuyasha' in the future. He didn't belong here… did she?

She could make it without him. She'd been making it for years now, building a life for herself – building a life she didn't want. But she'd made that life herself, and the world would applaud her for it. She didn't much care what the world thought, but… what else did she have? Funny, how quickly she'd trade it all away for just one person.

Looking down into the dark well, wishing she could fall into it just once more, even though it never led to more than a broken ankle… this was her last chance. If it didn't work today, if she couldn't get through… there would be no more trying. She'd accept what fate had given her. She'd make a future, and she'd carry her bitterness straight to Buddha in the afterlife if she had to. Not even reincarnation would get its hands on her this time.

"I'm sorry, but I really can't leave with you!"

Her mother's soft voice broke her thoughts with a snap, her head whipping to the beam of sunlight pouring through the shrine doors.

"Please, it's urgent! The deadline is in two days, and we need to start the preparations as soon as –"

"I'm very sorry, but you don't understand." Her mother's patient response was to a voice she hadn't heard before; a young man, his speech polite despite some urgency. "I really can't help you – I'm not a priestess."

Kagome froze as something began to creep up her spine; a familiar feeling of something extraordinary. Her pulse quickened and she swallowed suddenly. This was something she hadn't felt in years, and in her current melancholy, it was as exhilarating as it was terrifying: a supernatural aura.

She stared at the well again, just as black and boding and lifeless as it had been for days, months, years. Was this… her sign?

"If you'll just wait a moment, I can fetch my father. He's a priest, and should be able to help you."

"Uh, the old man? Are… are you sure he's a priest? I mean… forgive me for being rude but… I didn't really sense much spiritual power from him."

"Well, maybe he is a little rusty…."

"There must be someone else here with spiritual powers though! I know I sensed something strong from this shrine! Please, I could really use your help!"

"Oh, there's no need to bow! Well… I didn't want to disturb her, but…."

Kagome's feet were already climbing the stairs. The well wouldn't speak to her, but perhaps it was sending her a message in other ways. Maybe it didn't have enough power, maybe there were other ways, other means to get to the past, other ways to make it work – she didn't know, didn't take the time to think it out. The feeling grew stronger, and so did desperation. The blinding light outside shielded their guest from her view, and blinking away the brightness, she turned one last look at the black square in the ground below, sending a final plea to it before stepping back into the future.

'Inuyasha… I want to see you!'

"Oh, Kagome! I was just about to go get you!"

Her mother came into quick focus, but the stranger took another glance or two to believe. Hair that red and vibrant wasn't something she saw very often, even in the cosplay districts downtown. The strange old haori slung over his shoulder was an odd match to his track suit, which looked old enough in its own right. But none of these oddities shocked her quite as much as the creature perched on his shoulder.

"A- a demon!"

It took only her mother's confused glance and the boy's surprise to let her know she'd said something strange.

The cat-like creature sitting on the red-head's shoulder seemed to double-take as it registered her gaze, looking from side to side with its human features as it singled out where her attention was focused. "Y-Y'mean you can see me?"

Kagome nodded, hesitant to respond more overtly as her mother still glanced from her to the boy in confusion, missing the spot on his shoulder entirely. A relieved mutter of "Finally" slipped past the boy's lips as he slipped the Haori off his shoulder and over his arms – and Kagome jumped as her mother gasped violently and scrambled away. She didn't have time to ask before the boy had grabbed her by the wrist with a hurried but formal "If you wouldn't mind coming with me for a few days, the Disaster Prevention Bureau will see to your care and comfort as preparations are made for the removal of the seal." The air before them shifted and swirled, and Kagome could hardly breathe as a vortex opened up before them, the red-haired boy disappearing inside and pulling her carefully behind.

* * *

Inuyasha stood teetering at the edge of the well, on the edge of leaping as well as the edge of a nervous breakdown. He'd smelt her scent – he knew he had! But as he glanced once more down into the dark, there was no Kagome smiling back. His fist clenched, teeth and fangs grating harshly against each other at the thought that this was another false alarm. He couldn't take another snuffed out hope, not now. Not after three years of waiting and dreaming and believing and _dying_. His hands hit the wood with splintering force, sending all his anger and fear into the dried out timber as he glared into the darkness. Had she been nearby perhaps, just on the otherside? Was she leaning over as well, wishing like he was that it would open up, or swallow them whole, whatever came first? Was it just a scent and nothing more, drifting 500 years through time to mess with his fragile psyche and send him even deeper into the self-destructive hopefulness he'd been fostering since the first day he came back without her? Three years he'd been telling himself they'd be reunited. Three years he'd forced his heart to believe those words when every other part of him mourned the loss of her. He wouldn't give in now. He wouldn't let this be a fluke. 'You hear me, Well?' He thought bitterly, 'you ain't gonna keep messing with me like this. You're either gonna bring her here to me, or dammit, you're gonna let me through to her. There ain't no other option.'

He was ready to jump in and start tunneling if he had to, but then he noticed something different about the dark at the bottom of the well… it wasn't completely dark. His inhuman eyes strained against the distance, but soon he could see the faint highlights and shadows molding around wooden beams, and his dog-ears caught the sound of feminine cries; he jumped before another thought could come.

He swore the trip through time had never taken so long; a whole lifetime passed before his eyes as he sailed through the blue magic of the well. All his memories of Kagome were refreshed with her smell, revitalizing the image burned in his mind which he'd soon replace with a living person. Her dark eyes shining in a smile, her wavy raven hair falling in her face as she laughed… he could almost hear her, and soon it wouldn't even be 'almost'. He'd found her, he'd reached her, he'd never be away from her again. She didn't even need to come back with him; he'd stay in her room for the rest of eternity if it meant he'd get to see her every day.

He'd cleared the lip of the well and leapt up the steps before he realized it, and the harsh sunlight and dry air of Kagome's homeland filled him up with new life. But even as he breathed in the new and oh-so familiar world, something was off. A quick sniff and glance of the grounds had fear seizing his heart: Kagome wasn't here, but her mother was. And shock covered every inch of her.

Inuyasha offered no warning as he knelt beside her, grabbing her shoulders and wrenching her up to meet his gaze. A painful gasp tore from her at the move, but he didn't have time to be gentle. "Where is she? Mrs. Higurashi, _where is she_?!"

He gave her a moment, despite his inner tumult, to register what her eyes were seeing. Her hands came up, warm and gentle as he remembered, lightly brushing his cheeks before settling there to hold his face in a motherly grasp. Her lips quirked into a disbelieving smile, and for a moment her eyes filled with warmth. But soon enough loss took its place, and she whispered "She was at the well… she wanted to see you so badly… oh Inuyasha, she wanted to go back to you, but…"

"But what?!" He tried not to shake her, but his hands were shaking regardless. "What happened to her?"

"A boy… a boy came to the shrine… looking for a priestess," she released his face to wipe at her watering eyes, and he caught her as she slumped forward slightly, holding her up around her thin shoulders. He didn't remember her seeming so old. "She said… something about a demon… and then, he disappeared! Just like that! And he must have grabbed her, because suddenly she was gone too!"

"She just… disappeared?" Inuyasha felt his heart drop to his stomach. His nose was a fool-proof Kagome-tracking machine, but… it was just like Mrs. Higurashi said. There was no trail to follow. Her scent lingered in the air around the well-house, then nothing. No faint traces leading away, no clues to even begin a search.

"He… he said something though" Mrs. Higurashi continued, grasping the red cloth of his arm to hold herself steady and keep him from flying away as he seemed wont to do, "he needed someone to accompany him to a town. I'm sure he'll take her there."

There it was – that hope again. He'd become friends with it these past three years, and Inuyasha was more than happy to welcome it back. 'Just one more search… and then I'm never letting go again.' "What town? Where is it?"

"Well, I'm not sure where it is. I've actually never heard the name..." Mrs. Higurashi said softly, her gaze falling to the side, expression unfocused, "But I think he called it Tomobiki."

* * *

Stepping over loose boards with practiced ease, a shadow slipped into the foyer, sliding feet into soft black shoes in complete silence. Grasping the edge of the wooden door and testing its weight, the figure applied just enough force to unjam it, slipping it carefully along its track until he could make his escape. He didn't bother closing it; everyone would know he'd gone in the morning anyways, once they enjoyed his extra portions of rice and fewer contestants in the food fight, but by then it'd be too late. Crossing to the grass lawn, he was almost at the concrete wall when something small smacked the back of his head. Holding in a girlish squeal of pain, the young man looked back to see his fiancée, fully dressed in hiking gear and a cold frown. Kneeling to pick up the shoe she'd thrown, Ranma tried to force up some bravado even as he cowered on the inside.

"You dropped something."

"I can't believe you" she spoke faintly, trying to keep from waking any of their numerous and noisy relations, "I thought we were past this, but no. Here you are, taking off in the middle of the night without a word on some macho-power-trip. Just like old times, right Ranma?"

He tossed her tennis shoe back, and she caught it with fluidity that came from years of practice and synchronization. The martial-artist wondered if she'd noticed, because it was impossible for him not to. She wasn't nearly as clumsy as she used to be; they'd been well-matched for a while now. "Akane… look, I didn't wanna get the whole house involved in this, alright? You know how Pops can be, and then word spreads, and soon Shampoo and Ryouga and who knows who or _what_ else is on my heels, and –"

"But you couldn't even tell _me_? Not even when we'll be married in a month?"

"Well, we all gotta go sometime…" his teasing smile fell sharply as her glare hardened, and he realized too late that she wasn't in the mood for banter. "C'mon, what good would it have done? You didn't really expect to come with me, did you?"

Akane didn't say a word as she flicked her arm, a heavy pack falling off her shoulder and onto the ground at her feet. Ranma merely rolled his eyes.

"'Kane, no. You heard what that cat-thing said! It's too dangerous! We don't know what to expect!"

"Don't 'Kane' me, _YOU_ didn't hear what the cat said, _I_ did, because _you_ were too busy freaking out to pay attention!" Shouldering her pack once more and grunting slightly under the weight, Akane closed the distance between them, leaning in to look up into her Fiance's nervous face with determination. It was a face Ranma had learned not to underestimate. "I know more about this than you do, even if you do have Happosai's map. You can't do this without me, and you know it!"

Ranma grit his teeth, wracking his brain for a reason to leave her behind… even when he didn't really want to. It wasn't that she'd get in his way or slow him down or anything, it was just… "It… It's not that simple. I mean… If they took the precaution of putting the old freak under a seal, there's gotta be some dangerous stuff in this Tomobiki place!"

"And if there's a cure," Akane whispered, reaching out to find Ranma's fingers in the moonlight, "then I want to be there with you when you find it."

Then she smiled, and Ranma felt his defenses crumble. He couldn't bear to see her get hurt, not again, not after all they'd been through, all they'd overcome together, all the hurdles they'd leaped to make it to this point, so close to the finishing line, so close to being married…. But no matter what he said, he couldn't say no to that smile. She just looked so cute when she smiled.

"Fine, but I get to say 'I told you so' later, deal?"

"Deal!"

* * *

*Author's Note:

Thanks for reading! Not sure how many people will be interested in this, since aside from Inuyasha, I don't know how well-known the other Rumic World series are, but I'm SUPER EXCITED for this story, and I CAN"T WAIT to write more!

And I'm so sorry if you're waiting for updates on my other stories. They're in the works. None of my Inuyasha multi-chapter fics are abandoned (no, not even Epic Tragic Love Story) they're just… taking forever. So please, stay tuned, and have fun with this one! The Inuyasha, Ranma ½, Kyoukai no Rinne, and Urusei Yatsura worlds will all have major involvement and their unique roles to play, and if you're not familiar with all of them, I hope you can still enjoy the story regardless! (and… yes… since this is my story, the basis is kinda mostly focused on InuKag. I'm sorry, I can't help it. It's what I do.)


	2. Chapter 2

The Town that Time Forgot, Chapter Two

* * *

The single lamp in the old storage room flickered once again, drawing the attention of the two figures still awake. Grandpa had long since fallen to dozing, bent over a scroll sprawling across his lap and halfway down the porch. Souta had just recently given in to sleep, but it was already too late for Inuyasha to move him; the shell-shocked thirteen-year-old was sound asleep on his shoulder. The brat had been helping him search old records, because as much as the half-demon hated to admit it, he didn't read all that well, and it gave Souta something to think about other than his sister's abduction. Inuyasha hadn't commented at the kid's occasional sniffle and subtle swipe at his eyes, but he still cursed himself for going soft and coddling the teen.

A heavy sigh from across the room drew Inuyasha's attention to Mrs. Higurashi carefully placing another old scroll back on the dusty shelf. Responding frustration boiled up in him at the sight of another dead end. How long had they been in this old shed, pouring over ancient records for a single elusive word? Inuyasha was beginning to think that this "Tomobiki" place was just a ruse to buy time for Kagome's kidnapper. It wasn't on any modern maps or books, and not even the strange 'internet' thing on their plastic boxes turned up a single matching result. The thought that they might be following a false lead had him nearly running off the shrine grounds several times, but… then Mrs. Higurashi would stop him with a soft, sad word, assuring him that this was their only chance of finding Kagome again, and for some reason beyond him, he would listen.

She had opened another heavy book, her eyes straining in the dim overhead light which flickered from time to time. He watched the phenomena for lack of anything better to do. "We've been having weird power-surges throughout the city these past few days" she said suddenly, the silence shattering like glass. Inuyasha's curious gaze met her tired red eyes, and she gave him a motherly smile. "The lights keep going on and off because something's interfering with them." He nodded, understanding her explanation enough for her to continue. "No one's been able to figure out what's causing it, but… maybe they know and they're just not telling us." She turned another page, smoothing it down and running her finger searchingly over the paper.

Fidgeting restlessly in the new silence, Inuyasha floundered for some way to act, some way to be productive. "Higurashi-San, if you'd just let me go look for Kagome –"

She cut him off with a giggle, but her voice strained as she retorted "Inuyasha, please don't be formal with me – this is no time for any of us to be worried about that. But you need to believe me, I don't think that young man meant Kagome any harm."

"The hell he didn't" Inuyasha growled, throwing manners out the window at her own insistence; "he kidnapped her, didn't he?"

"I'm not saying we shouldn't worry" Mrs. Higurashi said firmly, turning a stern gaze on the half-demon who shrank back at the look, "but I'm more worried about what she'll be expected to do at this 'Tomobiki' place. She's been so exhausted lately with school and exams; I think we were both hoping she'd be getting a break for a while. But then all of this happened, and… I'm not sure why, but I've got a bad feeling about it. I didn't have that feeling about the boy though."

"Listen, any boy that makes off with Kagome against her will is trouble in my book" Inuyasha said with a snort. He hadn't crossed 500 years to let someone traipse away with Kagome, good intentions or not. This was no time to be forgiving. Gently leaning the sleeping Souta against the wall behind them, Inuyasha rose to his feet, slipping his sheathed Tetsusaiga in his obi and turning amber eyes on Kagome's mother. "I can't sit around any longer waiting for something we may never find." Her eyebrows furrowed, mouth opening to say something, but Inuyasha cut her off with an urgent "Please. I… I'm going crazy. I can't do this. I've waited three years and I don't want to wait another minute."

Mrs. Higurashi's gaze fell back to her book, not really seeing the pages as she listened to Inuyasha speak in a tone she'd never heard him use before. "I can smell her all over this place" he continued, his throat tight as he tried to get such deeply guarded secrets out in the open air. "It's like she's here, right next to me, but the fact that she ain't hurts, and knowin' she ain't here because someone took her away is more than I can bear. I shoulda been here for her from the start, but the well kept us apart. Now… now it's giving me the chance to make things right, and… you gotta understand, I was meant to find her. I'm always meant to find her." Bringing a sweating hand to the hilt of his sword for comfort, he watched the unresponsive woman with intense and nervous eyes, waiting on pins and needles for her to stop him. She didn't move, hardly breathed, and Inuyasha turned to go before the universe could interfere again.

"WAIT!"

Her shout froze him in place, but he didn't dare turn back around. "It's no use, I'm not-"

"No, Inuyasha, I found it!"

The wheels turned in his head, and he dared a glance behind him to see Kagome's mother staring with watery eyes at the dusty old book she'd had her nose buried in for the past half hour. "You… you don't mean…."

"I found Tomobiki!"

He was at her side in an instant, knocking over the old man in his haste, who in turn awoke Souta as he scrambled about to gather the scroll on his lap. Soon the family was gathered around the woman as she sat directly under the ceiling light, tracing carefully through each sentence as she searched for how to find her daughter.

"Mom, you've been staring at the kanji too long. This book is just a bunch of fairy tales!"

" _Folk_ tales, m'boy!" Grandpa corrected sternly, waving a finger at a frowning Souta, "These stories have been passed down through generations, and have their root in truth!"

"Yeah right…" Souta mumbled, stifling a yawn and rubbing at his sore back.

"I wouldn't write this off so quickly," his mother chided, glancing back at the half-demon peering over her shoulder, "you never believed grandpa's stories about demons and spirits when you were younger, did you?"

Souta sputtered at the look of disappointment on his hero's face, quickly defending himself with "that was before! And besides, Kagome didn't believe them either!"

Even Kagome's mother paused in her searching to watch the shock spread over Inuyasha's face at that revelation, and was quick to offer a reassuring pat to his shoulder. "Oh don't worry, she knows better now!"

Her words did little to erase the strange feeling rolling around inside him… thinking of the time when Kagome didn't know him, of a Kagome who thought demons were myth, a Kagome who denied his very existence…. He shook his head to clear the thought away, and focused back on the open page.

"So what's it say? Where's Tomobiki at?"

"Well, that's the strange thing…" Mrs. Higurashi started, "see, this is the only mention of Tomobiki anywhere in our records, but… it's not a 'place', it's a 'person'!"

"What?!" Trying very hard to control his temper but failing miserably, Inuyasha ground out "How does that help?"

"Tomobiki is the name of an Oni-Princess who apparently saved a village west of Mount Fuji."

"Oni-princess? Who the hell ever heard of an On-"

"Apparently," Mrs. Higurashi cut in, leaving Inuyasha to stew in muttered complaints over the story, "she gave her life for the town, and was buried in the center of it. A cherry blossom tree was planted on her grave, and immediately began to sprout. They say its bark was impenetrable and protected against evil spirits. But here's the part that can help us." She indicated a tight block of text, which to Inuyasha looked just as jumbled and headache-inducing as all the rest, and continued "it says that her spirit continued to guard and prosper the town, and so the people decided to name their town after her."

"Tomobiki…." Inuyasha whispered, sitting back on his heels.

"Tomobiki" Mrs. Higurashi repeated with a nod, hugging the open book to her chest. "The story is three hundred years old, but that's nothing to a tree."

Inuyasha's golden gaze met hers with sudden intensity. "It should still be standing… at least what's left of it. West of Mount Fuji you said?"

Nodding, her face filled with concern, and clutching the book tighter, she urged "Please be careful, Inuyasha! We don't want anything to happen to you either!"

Looking from the worry-lined woman's face, to the uncertainty on the old man, to the fiery hope in the boy, Inuyasha felt his chest tighten with unexpected affection for all of them. He'd missed them.

"Don't worry about me: I can hunt, I can forage, I can sleep anywhere – hell, I don't even need to sleep! I'll bring Kagome back to you, mark my words."

And with only a soft swish of cloth he vanished into the night as the Higurashi household sat under the still flickering lightbulb.

* * *

"What's the big idea dragging me away from home? Where are you taking me?! Who are you anyways? Come to think of it, _what_ are you? AND WHY ARE YOU IGNORING ME?!"

Still keeping a firm grasp on his guest, Rinne cast a pleading look at the small black cat on his shoulder, who returned a pitying glance. "I'm not being compensated to give her the whole run-down, am I?"

"Not according to your briefing" Rokumon said with a nervous glance at the fuming girl behind them.

"But she's not going to stop until we answer her, is she?"

"… It doesn't seem likely."

"… Rokumon, since you're the only one likely to get a bonus out of all this…."

Flopping resignedly onto Rinne's shoulder, the little cat muttered out "Alright, alright, I'll explain it to her" before clambering up and hopping the distance onto the shoulder of the black-haired priestess.

Kagome startled slightly, but not out of fright. A jolting memory of auburn hair and a fluffy tail swept all her questions and worries away for a moment, and she blinked it away to see a tiny black paw waving in front of her eyes.

"Hey miss, you okay?"

He didn't look much like Shippo aside from size, but the curious expression brought a nostalgic smile to her face just the same. "Yeah, sorry… what's your name?"

Sharing a perplexed look with the boy still holding her wrist and leading her through the swirling, colorful space, the cat answered with the slightest tremor "I'm Rokumon. This is Rokudou Rinne."

Kagome glanced at her guide who was watching their interaction nervously over his shoulder, though he apparently had nothing to add. "Well, I'm Higurashi Kagome. And even though I'm still mad at you both for dragging me away, for what it's worth… it's nice to meet you."

Both Rinne and Rokumon sagged in relief at her words, but tensed again as she continued in a voice that left no room for argument "However, I still expect some answers. Why are we here, and what is 'here' in the first place?"

"This is the Spirit Path" Rokumon answered calmly, not noticing the arched eyebrow Kagome gave in response, "a Reido is the quickest way to get anywhere, and where we're going is pretty difficult to get to. I mean, it's not like they just let cars drive to Tomobiki nowadays."

"I've never heard of Tomobiki" Kagome said casually, "is it near Tokyo?"

Giving her a sideways glance, Rokumon said carefully "Didn't you read the letter? I mean, I know it didn't say much about your escort to the site, but you must've read about Tomobiki-"

"What letter?"

Kagome stumbled in the floorless void as suddenly Rinne stopped walking. She looked questioningly at Rokumon, and nearly jumped out of her skin as the red-head turned on her with a panic-stricken look of someone realizing they'd left their keys at home. He still seemed unwilling to talk though, and so Rokumon took it upon himself to translate.

"You should have received a notice in the mail of the big event for priests and priestesses in the area. They sent out a ton of letters."

Kagome looked slowly from one anxious face to the other, a sick feeling starting to settle in the pit of her stomach. The truth was, she'd been receiving so much mail recently from colleges and universities and businesses seeking her applications… that any mail she got had gone straight into that unmarked box under her desk. If there had been an invitation to anything, it was probably in there.

"W-well, I didn't read it. So why don't you tell me about it?" She gave them both her best smile, hoping it would help solve whatever problem they were facing at least a little bit, but only Rokumon seemed appeased.

"The letter just explained the basics, that Tomobiki's been under a seal for the last twenty years, and that it's gonna break soon, and that they need the help of all the priests and priestesses in the area to help put it back for the next twenty years! It's a very important task!"

"Woah, hold the phone, a seal? I don't know how to create a seal!"

A pathetic sounding groan broke from the boy ahead of her, but Kagome didn't have time to figure out what she'd said that was so troubling before Rokumon responded "You won't be alone, besides, the seal isn't set to break for two more days, so there's some time for practice."

"But… but…" Kagome's head was spinning. This was so sudden! Just this afternoon she'd thought her adventures were over – for the rest of her life! And now… now here she was, talking to a cat in the middle of a swirling vortex, with a boy who expected her to seal an entire town! "What if I don't want to do this?!"

If the two seemed tense before, it was nothing compared to now. Kagome felt as though she'd just stolen their lunch money and spit in their faces. "I mean… I just graduated today!" she tried to explain, more softly and pleadingly this time, "My… my family's probably worried. You don't really need me… do you?"

Rokumon brought a tiny paw to his chin in thought, scratching nonchalantly even as sweat gathered on his brow. "I guess there's a clause in the contract for previous arrangements… if you have something of importance planned… more important than sealing in unspeakable evil."

That got her attention. "Evil?"

"Oh yeah, why do you think they sealed the town to begin with? It takes a lot of power to keep that much evil contained, and if they don't have enough priests and priestesses to make the seal work… it could mean disaster for all of Tokyo… no, all of Japan!"

Kagome bit her lip. So the little cat was laying it on thick, and his words were a bit melodramatic… but she'd faced evil before. She knew the difference one person could make. If there really was a threat, any at all… she'd never forgive herself for walking away from it.

"Alright… I'll help."

The sigh of relief was audible from both, and Kagome couldn't help rolling her eyes. If they needed her help so badly, why didn't they just say so? Why the theatrics? "One more question" she said quickly, and before Rokumon could respond, she raised her free hand to point accusingly at Rinne and asked "Why on earth won't he talk to me?"

She could almost see the boy sweat, but he still refused to say a word. Rokumon watched understandingly, and hesitantly began "Well, you see, all the young Shinigami were tasked with escorting the priests and priestesses to the site, but the briefing was very clear: they were to be professional and not waste any time chit-chatting or dilly-dallying. This task is of utmost importance."

Kagome blinked a few times, silent, finally finding her voice to say "But that's ridiculous. You mean he's not allowed to talk to me?"

"Well, basically…" Rokumon mumbled, dipping his head to the side. Sharing a glance with the red-haired young man, he sighed and revealed "It's more that he's not getting paid to."

"… I don't follow."

Tapping his claws together nervously, Rokumon explained "They paid all the Shinigami upfront, and it wasn't much… just barely enough to cover the escort fee, and nothing for guest services. Those will be covered when you get there, but we're not taking care of the extras."

Kagome could feel a vein pulsing in her forehead. Of all the things she'd seen that day, all she'd heard… this had to be the most ridiculous. "What is this, a business? Who has a business overseeing seals and cats?!"

With the most straight-faced expression she'd ever seen, Rokumon answered "Shinigami, of course", leaving Kagome gaping like a carp.

"We're coming up to the check-point" Rinne said suddenly, and Rokumon leaned in slightly to whisper "directions like that are covered in the escort protocol."

Kagome huffed, and then abruptly gasped, as out of the swirling haze a bulky figure appeared. As they drew nearer it became more defined, until Kagome could make out the form of a large black cat, almost her height, sitting on its haunches wearing a workers apron and a ticket box around its neck. It beckoned them forward, adjusting a pair of round glasses perched on its nose, and said in a squeaky voice "Pyasses to Tomyobiki."

Reaching shakily into his haori, Rinne fished around for an agonizing minute until he managed to produce an official (if slightly crumpled) folded paper, handing it over to the cat with an audible sigh of relief. He fidgeted as the cat-guard stood looking it over, but soon it gave an approving purr and tucked the envelope into its apron. It then held the small box around its neck out toward the group and said jovially "Thyat will be 5 Yen please."

The silence stretched out for an eternity. The swirling colors of the Reido were a fast-paced backdrop to the motionless group of travelers. After what must have been centuries, the cat thrust the box forward, the unmistakable jingle of coins filling the empty void, and its voice rang out in the still air again with "5 Yen, Mrr-Please."

Reaching slowly into his track-suit pocket, Rinne swallowed, saying in a dread-filled voice "I wasn't told this was going to be a toll road…."

"Reido path to Tomyobiki, Nyon-refundable toll."

Rinne tried to smile politely, but it looked more like a grimace than anything. He'd moved on to another pocket now, and it was evident that the cat-guard was growing impatient. Kagome was starting to feel impatient herself, and wished she could cross her arms, but Rinne had yet to let go of her wrist which was now growing slick as he began to sweat. She was just about to ask if he couldn't just pay the cat with something larger when he turned to her with a most serious expression and asked with all intensity "Sorry, could I borrow 5 yen?"

It wasn't just that she'd had a long day: it was completely the wrong day. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. She wasn't supposed to be here, in this 'spirit path', with this red-haired boy asking for money and these cats. She wasn't supposed to be sealing up some dangerous town that she'd never even heard of. She wasn't even supposed to be with her family celebrating her graduation or planning for college. She was supposed to be 500 years in the past, in the warm sunshine, under a clear sky with no pollution and no skyscrapers and nothing but trees and fields and mountains. She was supposed to be with Inuyasha. She was supposed to be home.

With an angry growl she wrenched her arm out of her guide's grasp, fully intending to march back the way they'd come no matter how long it took – but suddenly the little cat's claws dug into her shoulder, and she plummeted through the swirling colors into hazy blue sky, with no time to scream as buildings came rushing towards her.

* * *

To say the Tendo Residence was in chaos would be to ignore the fact that Chaos had a regular seat at the breakfast table with a bowl of rice and a morning paper.

Giant pandas who could read and write were no more interesting or out of place than pet pigs or old men throwing cherry bombs, and a little skirmish over pickled radish was seen as a healthy workout before heading off to school. But the chaos that morning was nothing of the usual sort, as two of the usual offenders had been found conspicuously absent from the chaotic rollcall.

When Ranma wasn't the first at the breakfast table, no one gave it much thought. He'd been sleeping in more often since graduating, and after the previous evening's strange events involving the talking black cat and Happosai's bespellment, they figured he'd been up late figuring things out. Genma had scribbled out a brief note about the boy not being in bed, and Soun remarked that he'd probably got up early for practice. Once he'd finished and washed up, not to mention once the smell of Kasumi's delicious meal found its way to him, he'd join the mis-matched family.

But then Akane never left her room either, and things began to fall apart rather quickly.

She wasn't in her room – Nabiki confirmed that one. The hopeful fathers thought perhaps the two had gone to spar, but the four curious family members were met with the sight of an empty dojo. Panic and 'worst-case-scenarios' had them bursting into the bath without a second thought, but it didn't matter: that was empty as well. It was immediately decided upon that the two had run off in the middle of the night to elope, abandoning their poor fathers and probably planning to abandon the 'Anything Goes School of Martial Arts' as well and never return, and from that point on reason packed her bags and walked briskly down the path and out the front gate.

Trying and failing to offer consoling words to her blubbering father, Kasumi gathered the forgotten rice bowls and retired to the kitchen to whip up something special to take everyone's mind off the unpleasant development. Nabiki sprawled out on her back, address book in one hand and telephone in the other, and proceeded to call up every bothersome acquaintance they had in an attempt to either assess her sister's whereabouts or squeeze a few yen out of someone wanting gossip. Soun was a hopeless mess as he sobbed into his friend's black and white fur, the panda scribbling one despairing message after another bemoaning his disrespectful disgrace of a son.

The general cacophony of noise throughout the living area was such that no one but Kasumi, alone in the kitchen, heard the chime of the front doorbell. To all outside appearances she seemed her usual cheerful self, assured that Ranma and Akane were just fine and would take care of each other, whatever it was they were choosing to do while they were away. Had any of the other residents of the house had presence of mind enough to be with her the moment she greeted their guest, they would have realized she was just as panicked and distracted as they. They would have caught the warnings she missed, remembered the words from the night before that should have rung like fire alarms in their heads, and maybe they could have prevented her making the fateful mistake of letting him inside the house.

"Gooday Miss!"

Kasumi was completely caught off guard by the blinding white smile, the vibrant red hair, and the over-the-top enthusiasm with which she was being greeted by a complete stranger. After the morning they'd all had, it was like night and day. But politeness was Kasumi's calling-card, and she responded with a bright smile of her own. "Good morning, what can I do for you?"

His eyes cracked open, crystalline mauve and stunning, and he brushed a hand through his fringe of red bangs, responding graciously "Oh, I wouldn't dream of bothering a lovely young woman such as yourself so early, and on such a fine day, only…" he trailed off with a melodramatic sigh, slipping his hands into the sleeves of a light blue haori. Kasumi noticed he seemed to be very well dressed for a random visitor, and feared for a moment that another bill-collector had come to pay Mr. Saotome a visit. Turning his Shining eyes back to her, his expression full of eagerness and just a hint too theatrical, he continued woefully "I've come to see an old friend of mine, though I fear he may no longer remember me. Please, there's no need to bother fetching him. If you… could just take me to him directly…."

She should have been suspicious; at the very least, Kasumi should have thought twice about giving this dramatic stranger access to any of her fragile family members at that moment, but it was already an odd day and Kasumi was just as out of sorts as the rest. "Oh dear… what's your friend's name?"

"To me he was old Happi… but you might know him as Grandfather Happosai."

No one could really find it in themselves to blame sweet Kasumi, after the fact, for graciously stepping aside to let the stranger enter the foyer and slip off his sandals. With all their distractions that day, no one could blame her for leading him down the hall to the old man's room. … They did, however, cast her a few judging looks to learn that she had left the stranger unattended in Happosai's room and gone back to the kitchen without so much as a "let me know when you're done."

When Kasumi had finally come to herself and gone to check on their guest, only to find him and the formerly sealed and immobilized Happosai missing… she couldn't stop a quiet little "oops" slipping past her lips.

* * *

*Author's Note:

Updating this a little ahead of the schedule I was planning on, but I have a feeling I'm gonna get busy with schoolwork next week, and I might forget to work on this. Plus, I want to get the ball rolling plot-wise already. :P

Next time: A red-headed rogue and an old-man strike a deal, black cats come in handy, and a couple careless campers have some trouble with a dog.


	3. Chapter 3

The Town that Time Forgot, Chapter 3

* * *

There was something about a freefall that made time stand still.

The world around her stood motionless, the whistling wind filled her ears so full it was like no other sound existed as her body hung suspended in the city air.

She hadn't felt this in years.

But there had always been someone to break her fall; always there'd been a weight beneath her, arms around her, a presence to let her know she'd be safe from impact with the unforgiving ground, and she was already calling his name before realization could sink in that he couldn't possibly respond.

"INUYASHAA-Ack!"

Her jaw clicked painfully as it hit a solid mass beneath it, but she found herself moving upwards and not smashing into concrete, so she dared to open her eyes again. Kagome knew it was too much to hope that her call had been answered… all the same, it was a little disappointing to see black instead of fire-rat red filling her vision. Burrowing her fingers gently into the soft fur beneath her, she craned her neck to get a better look at her rescuer. "R-Rokumon? Is that you?"

A slit pupil peered up at her from a giant green eye, an enormous black ear beside her twitching as the cat answered back anxiously "You should be more careful, Kagome-Sama! It's dangerous to wander around the Reido if you're not a Shinigami!"

"Yeah, well… I get that now." Shakily, Kagome leaned back into a sitting position atop the cat's giant head, bracing herself against any sudden jolts. Rokumon was a careful flyer though, and soon Kagome felt comfortable enough to lean out and get her bearings. It was a bit like riding on Shippo when he transformed she thought, only fluffier. The tall buildings of downtown soared along beneath them, and Kagome realized she'd been to this area once or twice for a shopping trip. It was outside of Tokyo, but still an easy distance for the trains.

They were passing over peaceful suburbs now, tinted orange in the late afternoon light, and although Kagome saw many students and house-wives picking their way to their homes, none of them ever noticed the large black shape gliding low overhead. Another careful look down confirmed that they weren't even leaving a shadow. She was just about to ask Rokumon how they managed to remain unseen, 'what-ifs' of her earlier brush with death flitting uncomfortably through her mind, when a new thought struck her, and she faltered.

"Rokumon, what happened to that boy? Did he fall too?"

"You mean Rinne-Sama?" The transformed cat answered, not even sparing her a glance as he glided on, "No, he's fine. He's got his Haori of the Underworld, so he can travel the Reido by himself. Though…" at this his squeaky voice faltered, and he continued uncertainly "without that toll money, and without you to escort to the site, I don't think they'll let him go any further. I hope they don't send him somewhere outside town, or worse, give him a fine!"

Kagome's lips pursed, and she felt her annoyance build. Just what was it with these two and money?! She had just opened her mouth to demand the cat take her right back home, seeing as they wouldn't be going to this Tomobiki place any time soon, when the body beneath her gave a sudden jolt.

"Sakura-sama!"

It was all she could do to hang on as Rokumon abruptly changed course, diving for the pavement at an alarming speed as Kagome fisted handfuls of black fur and bent close between his giant ears. Just as soon as the ride started however, it was over, and in a burst of cloud Rokumon had vanished from beneath her. She just barely caught herself on her feet, staggering on the sidewalk and holding a hand to her head as the sound of happy chatter met her ears.

"- we just got the call this morning, and we've been going from shrine to shrine all day looking for priests and priestesses who hadn't left yet, but either they weren't home or they hadn't got the invite, or they didn't have any spiritual powers, because none of them could see me, but then we found _her_ , only Rinne-sama didn't know it was a toll road, and it's my fault because I left our coin purse at home, and we already deposited everything larger in the bank, and –"

"Hold on Rokumon-chan", said his audience, a soft and indulgent voice, "I think your guest is still a little confused by all this."

Kagome managed to steady herself enough to see who was speaking. A girl not much younger than herself was holding Rokumon, obviously familiar with him, though her blue high school uniform was a far cry from the strange outfit that Rinne-person had been wearing. Her olive-brown hair hung in two braids at her back, and her eyes were kind and attentive. Kagome instantly felt at ease.

"Sorry," she said absently, dusting off her purple skirt and approaching the two, "I'm Kagome Higurashi. The 'priestess' Rokumon here was sent to fetch."

"Sakura Mamiya" the girl responded lightly, and her eyes fell nervously to Rokumon still cradled in her arms. "I hope you weren't too… _shocked_ by my friend. Though I guess if you could see him, he's probably not the only unusual thing you've seen."

"Nope, that's for sure!" Kagome answered with a laugh. "Actually… he reminds me of someone I know… an old friend…. But anyways," she shook her head. This was not the time for a stroll down memory lane. She didn't want to be thinking about the Feudal Era now – not when she was so far from home. Not when she'd been so close to going back. "Could you maybe tell me where I am? And maybe… if you know something about why I was brought out here?"

Sakura shared a quick look with the small black cat before turning back to Kagome with an expression close to apology. "It's probably best if you come over to my place for a while. I'll make some tea, and see what I can do to help."

* * *

"Ranma, look! I think these mushrooms here are edible!"

He didn't bother looking – he didn't even bother turning his head. It didn't matter if the mushrooms were edible or not (and they were likely _not_ ), because that wasn't really what Akane was saying. He knew that tone well, and he'd come to fear it: what it really meant was 'oh Ranma, I've come up with a recipe off the top of my head, and you're going to be my gineau-pig!', and that meant at least a 24-hour stomach ache. With lots and lots and _lots_ of practice, Akane had learned to follow a recipe book pretty well. Under Kasumi's supervision. With the ingredients laid out and ready for her. He wasn't about to put her budding culinary skills to the test out here in the wild.

Quickly reaching into his pack, Ranma pulled out a beat-up kettle and two Styrofoam cups and said as carelessly as he could "No need to worry 'bout those! I got us covered!" He dared to look at her through his cheesy smile, and though her gaze was half-hidden in the sharp shadows from the campfire, he could see she wasn't upset. A little disappointed maybe, but she wasn't about to start shouting. With that crisis averted, Ranma set the kettle over the fire to boil, and motioned for Akane to sit next to him.

"So, had any luck deciphering the old freak's map?"

Planting herself on the log with a huff, Akane pulled the folded square of yellowed paper from her sweatshirt pocket and flattened it out on her lap. "I just don't get where it is we're supposed to be heading!" She said exasperatedly, "I mean, we know this is the right map, but there's no city labeled on here – just cardinal directions and a squiggly little symbol that _might_ be the Tokyo crest."

Ranma paused in peeling the lid off a cup of Ramen to stare at Akane. "But we're heading _out_ of Tokyo. Why would it be on there?"

"I'm guessing it's for reference," Akane said tiredly, folding the old paper back up and stuffing it in place, "but I can't be sure. The only other thing that's any good on that map is a big tree drawn near the center, but there's no explanation for it."

Grunting in thought as the kettle began to whistle, Ranma reached absently for the wooden handle and carefully poured out the steaming water into the two waiting cups. He hadn't expected much from anything belonging to Happosai, but… this was disappointing. If that freaky talking black cat hadn't put the old man under a seal, he would have grilled him for more exact directions to Tomobiki, but things as they were, he and Akane would just have to work with what they had and hope luck would be on their side for once. Setting the kettle down over the fire again, he weighed down the paper lids of the cups with chopsticks and snuck a glance at his companion. Her blue-black hair glinted in the light of the campfire, her eyes pensively staring into the flames, and Ranma felt a smile tugging at his lips. He was glad she'd forced her way along, after all. She was a little hard to live with sometimes, but then… so was he. Things were certainly never dull with her around, and if Ranma were being perfectly honest with himself, sometimes he just plain liked her company.

A sharp snap of brush from across the clearing broke both of them from their peaceful reverie, their martial arts training putting both on high alert. They waited in silence for a minute or two, muscles tensed and ready to spring should something leap out of the bushes at them, but there was no other sign of life aside from the constant cricket song. At last Akane turned nervous eyes to her companion, and Ranma met her expression with what he hoped was casual indifference.

"Probably just a rabbit or somethin'. Don't worry about it."

Akane had just started to dip her head in a nod when the sound happened again, this time closer to their small camp then before. They exchanged looks, and Ranma's carefree attitude fell away in a sigh. "I'll go take a quick look. You stay here." He rose from the log, and could already see her opening her mouth to protest. "'Kane, don't worry about it – you just go ahead and start eating. This'll only take a sec." Leaving his fiancée looking unconvinced, Ranma headed away to where he thought he'd pinpointed the noise. There was a clump of brush at the edge of their clearing that the light of the campfire couldn't quite penetrate, making the martial artist more uneasy than he cared to admit. Even if it was a bear or a wolf, he and Akane had the speed and agility to get away. But both scenarios were unlikely – they hadn't heard anything like growling.

Of course Ranma should have known that luck was never going to be on his side. No sooner had he reached the line of bushes, ready to sweep them aside and see what was causing the ruckus, when he _did_ hear growling – from back near the camp. He turned on his heel just as Akane shouted his name in panic, and he saw her scrambling backwards over the log, staring in horror at something in the tree above her head.

"Akane! What-"

"I-in the tree! Some weird animal…" Ranma closed the distance between them, and Akane grasped his red sleeve, trembling. "It was growling at me, and I saw its eyes glowing… Ranma, it was huge!"

Straining his eyes against the stark shadows of the canopy, Ranma thought he could make out some darker shape lurking in the branches above their camp. "Just what the heck is that-" but his words were drowned in a gasp and shriek from Akane as the strange creature leapt down beside their fire pit, and just as quickly vanished into the shadowy brush. Both martial artists rushed to the scene as soon as it disappeared, only to find –

"The damn thing stole my ramen!"

"It… what?" Akane's look was incredulous, but Ranma ignored her in favor of stomping around the perimeter of the clearing, seething and clenching his fists.

"I don't know what you are, but you're wrong if you think I'm gonna let you get away with that!" Ranma felt his fighting spirit pulse to life, his chi coursing through his body, just waiting to be released. "It's bad enough we gotta camp out in the woods on a wild goose-chase like this, and now I don't even get dinner? That's _it_!" Monkey, owl, or a damned bull-yeti like Pantyhose Taro – it didn't matter what this thing was, it was going down. Fueled by the churning of his empty stomach, Ranma lifted his hands to the spot in the brush where he'd thought he heard movement and shouted a battle cry of "Moko Takabisha!"

The yellow sphere of energy surged through the night air and sizzled the bushes in its wake, but there were no cries of an animal or threatening growls to hint that the attack had hit something more. Gritting his teeth and rubbing at his aching stomach, Ranma turned back to Akane with a defeated sigh. "Whatever it was, it's gone now. And with my food too. C'mon Akane, let's just split what's left and –"

But Akane had gone white as a sheet, staring at something over Ranma's shoulder with disbelieving eyes. Ranma stopped talking at once as he became aware of a presence behind him and the faint crunch of dry brush under heavy steps. His muscles tensed, his whole body readying for a fight as he waited for their mystery attacker to get in range. A smirk turned his lip, and Ranma almost forgot his hunger – it'd been a while since he'd been able to really cut loose. This would beat morning training for sure!

The footsteps slowed behind him, sounding nervous and calculating. Akane made a strange surprised squeak as whatever it was stepped from the shadows into the light of the campfire – that was Ranma's cue. He swung out, his leg sweeping through the air, aiming low for the mystery creature's body. It lept nimbly out of the way. He charged the shine of red and silver as it danced around the edges of the firelight, just out of range. The shape of it was tall, and oddly human, and it unsettled Ranma like nothing else. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Akane stepping towards him, towards the fight, and he panicked; he couldn't put her in danger again. Steadying his chi, he mustered all his fighting confidence and shouted another "Moko Takabisha". The energy blast sailed true for the red and silver phantom, but just before it could land its hit, the creature dodged in a graceful backwards leap, landing crouched in shadow.

Ranma was incensed: how had he missed? How could that weird thing have dodged his attack? Just what kind of strange beast was this thing? He stood stewing with a million questions, only vaguely aware of Akane coming up beside him and her insistent tugging at his sleeve.

"Ranma, I've been trying to tell you to stop! I think we should wait and see what he wants!"

He? Who's _he_? The martial artist didn't even have time to ask what the heck Akane was babbling about before the growling of the crouched creature became something alarmingly discernable.

"Dammit to hell, ya nearly made me drop some!"

The pig-tailed boy was speechless as the mystery creature rose onto two legs and approached the ring of firelight. It wasn't an animal after all, but a person, in old-fashioned red clothes with thick white hair cascading behind him. Ranma took immediate notice of the katana strapped to his waist, and counted himself lucky that his opponent hadn't thought to use it in their fight. And then his eyes were drawn to what the strangely dressed man was holding, and surprise gave way to anger and hunger all over again.

"HEY! That was my dinner!" He watched as the thief took a huge mouthful of ramen from the cup with stolen chopsticks, slurping and munching without the slightest hint of remorse.

"Sho get shome more" the strange man mumbled through the noodles hanging over his lip. Slurping them up and swallowing them down, he closed his eyes in contentment, taking a deep whiff of the steam from the cup and saying wistfully "You got any idea how long it's been since I've had ninja food?" Before Ranma could make a move to stop him he tipped the cup back and drained the rest of it, throwing the empty container heedlessly behind him on the damp grass. His eyes, which Ranma noticed in shock were _yellow_ , flicked at once to the forgotten Styrofoam container sitting beside the log, undisturbed. Whether it was the strangely threatening feeling Ranma got from this person, or the fact that this last cup of ramen was the only thing protecting him from Akane's cooking, Ranma found himself surging to intercept. He lunged in the white-haired man's path and shot a chi blast at his chest – he dodged it again.

"Oi!" The man righted himself from the graceful tumble and advanced on Ranma with surprising speed. "You wanna stop with the spiritual energy or whatever? I ain't in the mood for this." His hand came up to rest lazily on the scabbard of his sword, not yet touching the handle, but meant as an obvious warning. Too bad Ranma never backed down from a challenge.

"How about you first explain what you're doing sneaking around our camp and stealing our food? You scared Akane half to death!" There was a sputtering sound behind him, and his fiancée groused "Oh, like you weren't scared too!" But the stranger didn't seem to be listening, glancing back and forth from Ranma to Akane, before settling that strange amber gaze on the former.

"You still got one cup left. I needed food. I got places to be. I don't gotta explain myself to a couple of lost humans."

Bristling and clenching his fists, Ranma retorted "How do you know we're lost? You been spying on us or something?" He set the man with a glare and turned on his heel to the small camp, crouching as he began to gather things up. His air became unconcerned and dismissive of the sword-bearing man; he knew this could be a mistake, but his pride had been hurt. If the creep decided to attack while his back was turned, that was just fine – he could use a good fight. "Let's get outta here Akane. The psycho can have the ramen – the sooner we get to Tomobiki, the sooner we can find some place to-gck!"

His vision swam with the yellow of the stranger's eyes and the white of snarling teeth – fangs! The freak actually had fangs! Ranma didn't focus on this long as he struggled to fight off the hand grasping the front of his shirt and lifting him off the ground. The growl they'd heard earlier in the treetops was _nothing_ compared to the deadly rumble emanating from the man now. "What did you just say?" His voice was low and scratchy, dripping with concealed threat, but Ranma couldn't respond even if he'd had a response to give. "Tomobiki – you said Tomobiki! Are you going there? WHERE IS IT?!"

He shook Ranma as he continued to snarl in his face, but the martial artist was at a loss. This guy knew about Tomobiki too? What did he have to do with all this? One mention of the name had sent him spiraling into a rage…. Ranma's mind swirled with possibilities. If someone as dangerous as this were so desperate to find the city, then it _must_ hold something powerful enough to cure him!

"H-hold on! Let him go!" Ranma's gaze flickered to the approaching Akane, noting that those yellow eyes did the same. His fighting instincts roared to life, and his legs bunched and shot forward in a powerful kick to the other man's midsection. The hand holding him up let go almost at once, and Ranma fell in an undignified heap on his back. Scrambling to his feet, he stepped before Akane with arms outstretched, but she pushed him aside with a huff and a muttered "Oh please."

Warning bells rang through his head as she walked closer to the still glowering man in red, but she stopped before she could get too close. "Listen, we don't know where Tomobiki is. We're trying to find it too. We… we have a map."

Ranma's jaw dropped. _What was she doing_? "Akane, you can't just tell him that!" he hissed behind her, but she plaintively ignored him. Beneath the choppy fringe of silver bangs, those yellow eyes were watching Akane with rapt attention, but it was hard to tell any other emotion in the dim light of the dying fire. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the folded square of paper, unfolding it under that intense gaze before handing it out in front of her. Ranma watched it pass from her hand to the stranger's as if it were a pork bun he'd never get to eat. There went his hopes for a cure. They'd never get it back now.

He was surprised however when, instead of running off with the thing, the white-haired man took it gingerly and scrutinized the markings. He was even more surprised when those eyes went wide, and for the first time, his dangerous opponent looked shaken. "It's the tree!"

"You know what it means then?" Akane responded in hopeful tones, and for the first time Ranma realized that perhaps she'd known what she was doing all along. "We've been trying to figure this map out all day, but nothing! Can you… I mean, you wouldn't consider… helping us, would you?"

Once again ignoring Ranma's incredulous glare, Akane kept her eyes focused on the hopeful yellow ones still roving the map. He was silent for a few moments more, before lifting thsoe eyes to meet hers. "Did they take someone from you too?"

Akane merely stared. "Who? The cats?"

Now it was the red-clad man's turn to stare. "Cats? What's cats got to do with it? You mean the demon?"

Sharing puzzled looks with her fiancé, Akane waved her hand toward the logs around the fire and said haltingly "I think we have some things to figure out. It looks like we know things you don't, and you know things we don't. So… truce?" Her bright eyes went from Ranma to the stranger; it was evident that any peace would have to be decided between them first.

"I don't got time to waste" the man spoke suddenly, and just as Akane's expression began to fall, he added sharply "I'm in. But you gotta tell me everything you know about Tomobiki, or you'll have a _real_ fight on your hands." His gaze fell pointedly to Ranma, and the martial artist squared his jaw.

"Fine with me, I ain't afraid of you!"

An angry huff was his only reply, and with a swish of red he turned toward the fire and sat on the grass, pulling his sword from his belt and resting it against his chest. Ranma followed after, passing the crouched figure with bravado. And _then_ he saw _them_. The shadows and dancing firelight had blended them in before with the white of the stranger's hair, but from this upwards angle, they were impossible to miss: fuzzy, triangular ears flicking on top of the man's head.

A girlish shriek erupted from the martial artist's chest, and he launched himself at the girl sitting down on the nearby log, his hands gripping her shoulders and forehead pressing into her back as he howled "C-cc-c-CAT!"

There was a heavy thwack as the sword scabbard struck the grass, and the pointy-eared man's rasping voice growled loudly over the cackling logs "I'm not a damn cat!" Akane lifted her hands in a peaceful gesture, subtlety elbowing the cowering man behind her.

"Sorry about him – he's got this… cat-phobia. It's just… the ears. They kinda shocked him, y'know?" She could feel Ranma's hands shaking as they squeezed her shoulders, and she felt sort of sorry for him. He'd been so ready to fight this guy tooth and nail just minutes ago, and here he was whimpering like a baby. There'd be no living with his bruised ego now, but really… how had he missed the ears in the first place? They'd been the first things she saw.

"But they ain't goddamn cat ears! Can't any of you morons tell the difference between a cat and a dog?!"

Even Ranma stopped muttering at that. "Dog?" Akane parroted back, and the man in red rolled his eyes. "Well yeah, ain't it obvious?" There was no response from either black-haired human, which only made him angrier. "Look, the name's Inuyasha" he said, pointing at himself with a clawed finger, "INU-yasha. Get it? You want me to spell it too?"

Blank stares watched over the fire as Inuyasha stuffed his hands in his sleeves and glared determinately at a far tree. Crickets filled the thick silence as it stretched on and on, but finally the clearing of Akane's throat broke the unspoken stalemate. "Oh. Sorry." She gave a final hard nudge with her elbow and Ranma rose to his feet wincing. He sat beside her and avoided eye contact with the cat-turned-dog, too embarrassed to add to the conversation. "My name's Akane, and this is Ranma, and… sorry but, are you _actually_ a dog-demon?"

Inuyasha's bright yellow gaze flickered between the pair, considering, before with a twitch of his ear he said slowly "I'll explain things later… right now, just tell me what you know about Tomobiki."

* * *

Mauve eyes scanned the dark office furtively, the door slipping shut with a click as the lock was turned. Tip-toeing steps crossed the floor to the desk that looked emptier than it had that morning. A resigned sigh passed Sabato's lips to realize the bill collectors had come by again and taken his belongings in payment. Oh well – soon he'd be up to his nose in valuables he couldn't even imagine, ready to be pawned. Or maybe he could sell them at auction, and make even more! The possibilities danced through his head, and he hummed in anticipation, dumping his stolen cargo none-too-gently on his bare desk. The old man wobbled slightly in his bindings, but the black cats had done their job well – his pinched brows and frowning mouth were frozen in permanent consternation by the Shinigami seals, one of which lay plastered across his wrinkled forehead.

Checking to make sure the sealing rope around the tiny old man was secure one last time, Sabato's lips split in a fox-like grin as he ripped the seal from the old man's head. It was as though he'd pressed the play button on a movie – Happosai's large mouth opened in a tirade so full of steam it seemed he'd never been interrupted. "-ink you're doing, you insolent little whipper-snapper! Why I oughta-." His eyes refocused then on the smiling figure towering before him, and his features screwed in frustration as he found himself unable to move. "Wha- where am I? What's goin' on?" His crackling voice fell into a piteous whimper, and his bulbous eyes grew watery. "Ooh, darn those cats! And I never even touched my dinner…."

"Now now Happi," Sabato crooned, patting the old man indulgently on his balding head, "you know I see right through those tears!"

Happosai looked balefully up at the red-haired man, but could make no other move. "I told you Rokudou, I can't work with you." He struck as noble a pose as his bound little body could muster, his diminutive nose in the air as he said haughtily "You're too lazy, even for me."

"I never said anything about work," Sabato answered back in a sing-songy tone, "because you're going to do all the work for me!" Lifting the little man in his hands, Sabato gave his most disarming smile and said "I know you don't have your map anymore – I looked – but I know you Happi, and you're not one to let knowledge of a place like Tomobiki just slip out of that aging mind, now are you? You _know_ where it is, don't you Happi? Even if no one else in the world remembers it, you do!"

But Happosai, wholly unaffected by that smile, strained his neck to spit out "And what's in it for me, huh? You still owe me from the last job!"

Sabato placed a hand to his heart, his eyes downcast and smile gone. "You wound me, my friend! I promised to make it worth your while, and I'm ready to pay up! Unless…" reaching into his robe, he pulled a rectangular folded paper, and waved it before the old man's suddenly interested eyes. "Unless of course you're not interested in this map of the Damashigami Company's living quarters, complete with the women's rooms circled in red. Tuesday is laundry day, when they hang all their fine-washables out to dry. A lovely sight really, all those bras and panties and stockings fluttering in the breeze… like flowers waiting to be picked." He glanced down to see the bug-eyed old man nearly salivating.

"O-Okay, you win" Happosai answered dreamily, his aging eyes sparkling with the far off thought of a panty-raid, "I'll take ya to Tomobiki as soon as you give me that map!"

"Done!" Sabato shouted in triumph, stuffing the folded paper into the sealing cords and nearly slamming Happosai back onto the hardwood desk. The old man yelped in pain as Sabato rushed about the room gathering money from all his secret hiding places.

"I hope you know what you're getting into, Sabato" Happosai muttered after a moment of watching the red-haired Shinigami. "It's gonna be tough getting the seal off that place – even harder to keep it off."

"Ah, but I know their methods already" Sabato answered absently as he pulled away a piece of paneling and extracted a few yen, "and you've been there before, haven't you?"

Happosai closed his eyes and sighed, a bittersweet look of nostalgia softening his creased features. "It's been twenty years since I last saw Tomobiki, back before the seal… I tell ya Sabato, you don't know what you missed! Of course, you wouldn't remember, no one does, but the _girls_ there - Wowza! When they say 'outta this world', they mean it!"

"You can tell me all about them on the way" Sabato said cheerfully as he stuffed the last of his cash in a small bag and tucked it in his robe. "I want to know everything there is to know by the time the seal breaks!"

Happosai chuckled as Sabato scooped him up and made for the office window. "Well first thing you gotta know about Tomobiki m'boy, don't expect to understand it!"

* * *

*Author's Note:

It's been a long, dry summer of basically no writing and no will to write, and I am so sorry... BUT! I managed to get this chapter finished, so hopefully that bodes well for the futures of all my stories!

Next time: Paths converge on Tomobiki as Kagome learns about the seal and Inuyasha learns Ranma's secret!


	4. Chapter 4

The Town that Time Forgot, Chapter Four

* * *

"Here you go Kagome-chan! Careful, it's hot."

Taking the cup of tea with a grateful smile, Kagome took a moment to stare into its steamy depths and center her mind amidst a flurry of questions. Looking up at her host smiling kindly across the low table at her, Kagome found some of her earlier anxieties fading. "Thanks for this" she said with a nod to the tea, "You didn't have to."

"It's no problem" Sakura replied with another smile, pouring a smaller cup for Rokumon who took it with glistening eyes. "You seemed like you could use a break and a nice hot drink. Getting involved with Shinigami can be pretty tiring."

Kagome hummed, blowing softly at her steaming cup and glancing at the small black cat who was sipping at his tea almost reverently. She didn't want to insult the little guy by saying that he and the red-haired boy had basically ruined her day… so she kept her mouth firmly shut.

"So you're a priestess, huh?" Sakura started in a conversational manner, pushing a small basket of rice crackers towards her. "Have you been one for long?"

"I guess I started training a few years ago…." It was a bit shocking to think she'd only been aware of her abilities since the age of fifteen, and Kagome wondered how long Priestesses usually worked on honing their spiritual powers. Despite her newness to the profession, she'd had quite the crash-course battling demons day in and day out.

"You must be very skilled for them to have called on you for help!" Sakura's expression was filled with admiration, and Kagome felt her self-confidence surge a little at the praise. "Rokudou-kun told me they were being really selective about the invitations. Most of the priests and priestesses our friends went to summon were over forty at least! We have a friend who's a priestess, and she didn't even make the cut. You can't be much older than she is, and she's in high school!"

Kagome ducked her head in a sudden wave of bashfulness. She supposed it helped to be the reincarnation of a powerful priestess, and she could faintly remember Inuyasha once telling her that her powers were enough to scare even the malevolent force inside the jewel. If only she hadn't let herself get so out of practice…. "You're right – I actually finished high school just a few days ago."

Sakura gave her a bright "Congratulations!" and another sincere smile, and Kagome felt her heart warming. She hadn't made many friends in high school – it was hard enough to deal with her forced separation from her feudal-era family. Sticking to Yuka, Eri and Ayumi had been far easier than branching out, and she'd never felt she could trust her other classmates the way she trusted them. After all, they knew the truth about what she'd been through, and she couldn't imagine telling such things to anyone else. But this girl… they'd only just met, and already there was something in her manner that instantly put Kagome at ease. She wished they'd been friends earlier. This was the sort of person she _wanted_ to share such secrets with.

Looking across at the other girl, twin pigtails falling over her shoulders as she reached for a cracker, Kagome started "Sakura-chan… do you know how long they'll need my help?" Sakura looked up at her with wide, questioning eyes, and Kagome plowed on. "It's just, I wasn't planning on being here. I didn't see the invitations, and I didn't make any arrangements to come here. I mean I just finished school and I was… kinda hoping to be with my family right now. I'm sure they're worried sick."

Concern washed over Sakura's face, and she glanced down at Rokumon with sternness. The cat didn't notice at first, happily crunching down on the offered crackers, but Sakura's disappointed voice drew his attention like a cracking whip. "Rokumon, didn't you give her any warning before taking her away?"

The cat's green eyes flicked at once to hers, his little mouth hanging open at the rebuke. "But… we just figured she knew already! Her mom said she would be able to help us!"

"I don't think she realized you'd take off with me" Kagome added with a raised eyebrow, though she couldn't bring herself to truly be angry with the cat. His round little face and pleading eyes reminded her too sharply of Shippo, and she found herself wanting to coddle him in the kit's place.

The black cat fiddled nervously with the last of the cracker in his tiny paws, large green eyes trained on the floor as he mumbled a pathetic sounding "Sorry 'bout that. We really didn't mean any harm."

As his little shoulders hunched in remorse, Kagome couldn't hold back any longer. Her arms reached out before she could think to ask permission and scooped the black cat into a gentle hug. He stiffened at the sudden move, but Kagome kept him gently cradled against her until he relaxed and began to slowly loll his thin black tail. "It's okay. I know you were just doing your job." She pulled back slightly to look down into grateful emerald eyes, and added with a smile "But how about next time, you tell my mom where I'm going first?" Rokumon gave her a fanged smile and nodded before settling into a ball in the comfortable curve or her arms.

"So… does this mean you're still going to help with the seal?" At Sakura's curious voice, Kagome dipped her head. She couldn't believe it herself, but she still wanted to help. "From what Rokudou-san and Rokumon told me, it seemed important. I've… well, let's just say I'm used to making sacrifices for the 'greater good'. My mom will just have to wait to see me when I get back." She paused for a moment, considering, and then with a sigh decided to act on her earlier decision to trust her new friends. "It's not like this is the first time I've been dragged away to save the world."

Both Sakura and Rokumon turned to her then with faces full of questions, and Kagome steeled herself to begin the tale that would test whether she'd been right to place such faith in them or not… but suddenly the room was filled with a vacuum-like sound, air whipping lightly about them, and all three looked up to see a swirling vortex form just below the ceiling. Kagome recognized it as the same sort of portal she'd been dragged into to get to the Reido, and instinctively flinched back, as if expecting to be pulled through by yet another stranger and carted off again.

She was startled however to see a vibrant head of red and long white robe fall through instead, and winced as Rinne Rokudou crashed into Sakura's carpeted floor with a pained grunt. "Rokudou-kun!" Sakura was at his side in an instant, pulling the young man to a kneeling position as he shook his head to clear away the stars. Kagome found her attention drawn away by the vortex slowly closing above him until it disappeared completely, wondering if they always spat people out so violently. A reido seemed like a very convenient thing, as long as they stopped dropping people like this.

Rubbing at a growing bumb on his forehead, Rinne squinted as he took stock of his surroundings – and promptly straightened, a red stain across his cheeks, as he saw where he was. "M-Mamiya Sakura!" Sakura met his flustered expression with pleasant patience, and Kagome had to bite her cheek to hide a blossoming smile. He was blushing! She watched as the young man finally noticed Sakura's steadying hand on his arm, and his pale face became even more flushed. 'Sooo…' Kagome thought, grinning like a cat in her mind, 'Rokudou-san has a crush on Sakura-chan, does he?' As surreptitiously as she could, Kagome glanced to Sakura, trying to gauge the girl's interest in return. 'Hard to tell…' she mused, 'but she's certainly not repulsed by him!' It was a well-known fact among Kagome's group of school friends that she had an eye for relationships, and loved to play match-maker when she had the chance. It was something Inuyasha had never quite understood, even when her long-held predictions had proven true and Miroku asked Sango to be his wife. If Inuyasha were to see her now, he'd surely give her that same eye-roll he used to when she got starry-eyed over their friends. It didn't stop her then however, and he wasn't here to stop her now.

Sakura was in the act of pouring Rinne a cup of tea, apologizing for it having cooled down while Rinne took it as though she'd handed him a diamond ring, when Kagome decided she'd given the couple long enough to catch up. "Excuse me, Rokudou-san;" Rinne's eyes shot to her in surprise, as though just realizing she was there. Kagome had to hide a laugh, knowing that had probably been the case. "I was just wondering what happened. Are we still going to be able to get to this Tomobiki place?"

The almost domestic mood the red-haired boy had been in before shattered into one of stone-faced aloofness. Taking a careful sip of his cooled-off tea, Rinne waited to swallow the drink and sigh contentedly before responding plainly "They won't let us go back. The gatekeeper kicked me out and wouldn't return the invitation."

Rokumon jumped from Kagome's arms in a flash of fur. "What?!" Placing his front paws on the young man's knees, he looked imploringly up at his partner, nearly whining "But the payment! What're we gonna do about our fees this month? We'll be in the red again!" Rinne sat in silence, his visage as calm and patient as a monk, and continued to sip his tea as Rokumon all but wailed at his feet. Finally finishing off his tea, he put a hand to the tiny cat's shoulder and said with the beginnings of a smile "Rokumon, I said they won't let us go back to the spirit path, but we don't need that path to get to Tomobiki."

Even Kagome's eyes went wide at this admission, and she leaned forward to ask hurriedly "are you saying there's another way there?" Rinne glanced her way, nodding hesitantly. She waited anxiously for him to explain, and finally he began, scratching nervously at his neck as he spoke. "You see, they're watching all the spirit paths. They want to make sure only authorized Shinigami and their guests make it to the site. But… as long as we don't take a spirit path, they shouldn't know we're going until we get there."

"So… we go by foot?" Kagome asked incredulously. This was starting to sound like a fool's errand, and she wondered just how dire the situation surrounding the seal really was, if the people in charge were going to make it so difficult to get there.

"Rokumon can fly us most of the way – people don't see him, or me when I have this on." He tugged at his haori for effect, and Kagome remembered how her mother had suddenly cried out in shock the moment he'd slipped it on. She would have been scared too to see him suddenly vanish.

"Okay," she relented, "but do you know the way? I thought this place was difficult to find or something. I'm guessing you don't just have a map to it."

"And that" Rinne said with a pained smile, "is where this comes in." He held up a jar, and Rokumon gasped at the sight. "Rinne-sama, obsession-tracking powder?" Rinne nodded solemnly, grimacing as though he'd just lost a fortune. "There's no helping it, Rokumon" he responded grimly, "we'll just have to make up the cost with the earnings from this job. Now let's hurry! We want to get there in time!"

Pulling a rumpled, empty envelope from his pocket, Rinne sprinkled it with the powder from the jar. The particles seemed to sparkle and hang in the air as he covered the flat paper, and Kagome watched intrigued as the sparkling powder trailed away from the paper to streak off through the room, straight through the wall and beyond. "That's our path!" Rinne said excitedly, as Rokumon jumped up with a laugh and hopped into a swirling gateway that appeared before him. "We'll take the Reido out of town, and then the obsession powder should lead us the rest of the way."

He quickly disappeared inside the vortex, but Kagome was hesitant to follow. Even as Sakura rose to her feet to follow, Kagome hung back. Her previous experience in the Reido had spooked her to say the least, and she still wasn't sure what to make of this 'Rinne' person. He played things close to the vest, and Kagome wasn't ready to throw all her caution aside when _he_ wasn't willing to open up to her. Strict professionalism was hardly a basis for friendship.

Noticing the girl's reluctance, Sakura gave her a warm smile, and placed a comforting hand to her arm. "It's alright," she said softly, catching Kagome's eye, "Rokudou-kun is just on the other side waiting for us. He won't let you fall through again." The gentle assurance in the other girls voice brought a smile to Kagome's lips, and with a nod she allowed her new friend to usher her into the Reido. Perhaps if Sakura could trust him… she could rely on that for now.

* * *

A growl boiled up in Inuyasha's throat as he watched the sleeping figures of his new traveling companions. The sun had risen hours earlier… or at least, it felt that way to the impatient half-demon. He didn't know what time these lazy humans were planning to be up and moving, but if it had been up to him, they would have been travelling the moment the sun crested the hills. 'Not even Kagome used to sleep this long!' he groused, ignoring the whispering memories of slipping her onto his back some mornings when she was still too tired to stand. 'That was different' he told himself adamantly. She worked hard, and pulled her weight, no matter what he might have said to the contrary at the time. But these two….

His amber gaze flickered back to the girl and boy wrapped up in thick sleeping bags by the fire, and his growl increased in volume as they continued to doze. A sudden tiny beeping sound had him jumping nearly out of his skin, and his ears swiveled frantically to pinpoint the noise, eventually landing on a small device attached to Akane's wrist. Relief swept through him as the young woman stirred, and with a grunt her opposite hand fumbled for the annoying machine until finally she found what she was looking for and the beeping ceased. With a heavy sigh she rubbed at her eyes and lifted herself on her elbows, blinking blearily into the early morning sun. Sleep still clung to Akane's body as she slowly took in her surroundings – that is until she turned to see the white-haired, dog-eared man across the fire. She squeaked in surprise, and Inuyasha flinched at her alarmed expression; but the look faded as memories of the previous night's encounter came to her sleep-muddled mind, and she smiled.

"Good morning Inuyasha. Sleep well?" Her question was well-intended, so Inuyasha bothered to grunt in response. He didn't feel like telling her that he hadn't slept at all. He'd tried, and he couldn't. There'd been something off in the air: something strange surrounding him that had kept his sense on high alert throughout the night. It was as though at any moment he might turn around and see someone peering over his shoulder, but every time he dared glance back there was nothing but air. He was unnerved by it, and that paired with his impatience to find Tomobiki had made him irritable. Not that _she_ needed to know any of that.

"How long before you two are ready to go?" For a brief moment Akane looked put off by his abruptness, but she didn't fight back. A soft, understanding look settled in her eyes, and once again Inuyasha regretted telling these two of his quest. He'd left out the more sensitive details regarding the well, only informing them of the essentials: he and Kagome had been separated for three years, and when he finally was able to be with her again, she'd been taken. Even that sparse story was enough to get Akane nearly crying and Ranma giving him pitying looks the rest of the night. It was enough for them to form a temporary level of trust, and he supposed it was a good idea to swap information if they were going to try working together, but… did they have to get so damn emotional about it? _He_ was managing to hide the pain of Kagome's absence. If he had to put up with this sappy pair being all sentimental over him for the rest of their travels, he was going to lose it.

Turning her sympathetic gaze away, Akane glanced down at her still snoozing companion and said dryly "I have some granola bars we can eat for breakfast, so I guess we can be ready to leave in about twenty minutes… once Ranma gets up anyways. No telling when that'll be though."

"I'm not waiting on him." Inuyasha's jaw was set, his gaze unwavering as Akane sent a warning glance his way.

"You can try to wake him if you want, but he sleeps like a brick. And I don't want to be around when he starts fighting back."

Scoffing, Inuyasha stepped purposefully toward the cocooned boy before Akane could protest further. "We don't got all day. I want us getting to Tomobiki before sunset, and I ain't waitin' on this lazy ass to do it." Wrenching the zipper of the sleeping bag open as he'd seen them do the night before, Inuyasha grabbed a handful of Ranma's patterned green pajamas and hauled the groggy boy to his feet. Ranma slumped in his grasp, still snoring softly.

"I told you" Akane said in a sing-songy voice, pulling a frustrated growl from the half-demon. Looking around for inspiration, Inuyasha's burning yellow eyes landed on a shimmer of blue, and he made for it without another thought. The shallow stream by their camp was slow and clear enough to see to the rocks at the bottom, and Ranma wasn't likely to drown in it, no matter how appealing the thought seemed to the half-demon in that moment. He heard Akane's gasp as he drew nearer to the stream, and was distantly aware of the sound of her bare feet padding across the grass as she ran to catch up with his long gait. Whatever. He didn't have time for this. The boy would be fine.

Just as Akane shrieked a panicked "No, DON'T!" he chucked the sleeping young man in the cold water, turning away with a huff and stomping back to camp as angry sputters erupted from the water.

"You jerk! What the heck was that for?!"

It took a moment for the new voice to register in his brain, and when it did, Inuyasha nearly tripped on his own feet as his eyes shot open, perplexed. The voice that had spoken was a few octaves higher than the one he'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't Akane's. He hadn't smelled anyone else nearby, so who…?

He turned back, brows drawn in confusion, and saw a red-headed girl wearing soaking green pajamas sitting in the shallow water, fuming and glaring straight at him. Akane stood beside the girl, trying to help her out of the water, though her eyes too were focused on the half-demon. Her normally friendly expression had turned terrified.

"Wha… what the hell?" In a few strides he was back beside the stream, and before either girl could react, he'd grabbed the soaking stranger by the back of her pajamas and lifted her from the water. She was tiny, shorter even than Akane, but her voice boomed across the clearing like a demon. "PUT ME DOWN, YOU OVERGROWN DOG! What's the big idea throwin' a person in the river first thing in the morning? What're you tryin' ta pull? Hey, are you LISTENING to me?!"

Inuyasha was in fact _not_ listening in the slightest. His nose worked overtime as he sniffed intently at the red-headed girl wearing Ranma's pajamas, and with just a few sniffs, he came to a startling conclusion: despite the obvious increase in estrogen, this person was undoubtedly Ranma. His eyes couldn't believe it, but his nose broke through the funk of hormonal changes to find the underlying scent he remembered from just a few minutes ago. This was Ranma, the boy he'd met the night before, in a woman's body.

Dropping the girl in a heap on the ground, Inuyasha stumbled back a few steps as Akane rushed forward to help the boy-turned-girl to her feet. Ranma continued to grumble, rubbing her sore bottom and glaring blearily at the half-demon still staring. "Well?" She said gruffly, "You gonna say something, or are you gonna catch flies all day?"

The dog-demon hardly had it in him to be offended as the girls started back to camp, and he followed behind dumbly. He knew what he was seeing but… how the hell had it happened? As Ranma gathered up a change of clothes, stomping away to the tree-line to change, Akane sat on a nearby log and motioned for Inuyasha to sit as well. He plopped to the ground with a bewildered expression that refused to leave his face.

"I… guess you're wondering what's up with Ranma, huh?" 'That's one hell of an understatement' Inuyasha thought bitingly, but Akane's discomfort kept him from voicing it. Her breath released in a nervous puff of air, and she continued "Y'see, it all happened a few years ago… he went to train in China with his father. For martial arts, you know? Problem is neither of them know Chinese, and well… they went to this training ground called Jusenkyo. It's famous for being really tough – it's made up of thousands of natural springs that you're supposed to keep from falling into during training. Only… they didn't listen to the warning from the guide that it was cursed, and… they fell in." She glanced at Inuyasha, who looked more confused than before, and took a deep breath. "Ranma fell into the 'spring of drowned girl', and got… cursed. Every time he's splashed with cold water, well… you saw what happens."

Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, his mouth hanging open in shock. "You mean" he began haltingly, "because he fell in some stupid spring, his body changes to a girl whenever he gets wet?"

"Only with _cold_ water" Akane clarified. "Hot water turns him back."

He wanted to laugh. He wanted to call them both crazy and leave them in the dust so he could continue on and find Kagome. He was ready to call this the most ridiculous story he'd ever heard in his life… only he'd seen the change with his own two eyes, and smelt the truth with his own nose. He bit back his disbelief, trying to remind himself that he'd seen some pretty strange things in his life, and this was just another check on a long list.

Besides, he _was_ half- _demon_. Who was he to judge a half- _girl_?

* * *

"Rokudou-san, what exactly are we keeping sealed in Tomobiki?"

Rinne looked back from where he glided alongside Rokumon, catching Kagome's curious eye as she sat atop the monstrous cat. "They didn't tell us much" he admitted, "but I do know it's a whole town under the seal. I don't think it's just one person that was the problem, otherwise they would have dealt with them specifically."

Kagome hummed in thought. "That would make sense… though what could an entire town do that was bad enough to put them under a seal?"

"It does seem a little drastic" Sakura added lightly from her spot beside Kagome. "I wonder if their crime is really as bad as their punishment. I don't know if anyone deserves what they got."

Her words were met with Kagome's blank stare. "Punishment? You mean… the seal?"

"It's more than just the seal" Rinne called back, his tone suddenly serious as he sailed slightly ahead of them in the sunlight. "The seal was put in place to reinforce the real spell on the city." He paused for a moment, then added solemnly "You'd never heard of this city, right?" He turned piercing red eyes back to Kagome, who could only shake her head. "Well, that's it. That's the spell. Tomobiki was wiped from everyone's memories. The whole world forgot it existed. The seal makes sure that no one ever remembers it again."

A hush fell over the group. Kagome bowed her head, her mind grasping to understand. Who could have allowed those people to be erased from existence like that? Thinking back over all the horrors she'd seen in the feudal era, all the heartache and death and tragedy she'd been witness to, Kagome was suddenly glad she could remember it all. It made the happier moments in her life shine that much brighter.

"What on earth did they do to deserve something like that?" she whispered in a choked voice, not expecting anyone to hear.

Rinne stared ahead at the clouds rushing past, his eyes steely. "I'm not sure, but in the end, the Disaster Prevention Bureau had to make a choice. They still won't tell us the particulars, but Grandma did tell me this: the town itself chose to be forgotten. If they hadn't, it would've meant war."

* * *

Sabato watched as an almost imperceptible sheen flickered through the air, outlining the indistinct shape of a dome that soared nearly a mile into the sky. He hummed, tapping his chin in thought as the old man beside him nearly giggled with mirth.

"There it is, there it is! Oh Tomobiki, it's been too long!" Happosai's squat figure rushed forward, colliding with the invisible barrier, causing it to shimmer and ripple out in a wide arc to nothingness. Rubbing his round, mustached face against the iridescent wall, the old man crooned "Ooh, you've missed me, haven't you Tomobiki? Yes indeed, we go way back, don't we 'darlin'?" He gave a rasping, riotous laugh and hopped away, tapping his long pipe against the barrier before turning back to his bemused companion. "You get me in there Sabato, and I'll consider all your old debts payed! Aw heck, you'll be the one thanking _me_ once you see what's on the other side!"

"If only I could break the barrier now" Sabato sighed in melodramatic tones, prodding the bubble-like seal with a finger. "We'll have to wait till the priests and priestesses come to fix it, and then cause a distraction." Folding his arms into the wide sleeves of his blue haori, Sabato continued with a sage nod "If we can throw off their concentration, that should weaken things enough for us to slip through."

"And when we do, you follow my lead, boy." Dashing to the tree where they'd dropped their belongings, Happosai grabbed a small, wrapped axe from the pile and held it up for the other man to see. "We each take one of these specials axes, and head to the cherry tree in the center of town. No stops, no dilly-dallying: if we don't get to that tree quickly, this'll all be for nothin'!"

Taking the axe from the old man, Sabato peered at it closely, noting the trace of purifying salt radiating from beneath the blade's wrappings. "Why?" His casual tone undermined the careful calculating in his eyes. He knew when to pay attention to important information. It was what made him such an excellent scammer. "What's so special about a tree?"

"That tree" Happosai began, his tone darkening, "is what powers the seal on the town. It's not just the barrier around the town, it's everything inside too. It's all stuck in time, ya see? And once the cherry tree is chopped down, everything and everyone is let loose, and they won't be able to put it under anymore silly spells! We'll have the whole place to ourselves to do as we please!"

Despite the old man's cheery optimism, Sabato felt the seeds of doubt. "If it's a multi-layer seal, won't it be that much harder to get inside? We might need to cause a bigger distraction than I thought." Sighing morosely, Sabato added "This is going to be more work than I wanted." Turning his bright red eyes on the short-statured man beside him, his face took on a frightening false-pleasantness as he said "This had better be worth it, old fool! Don't expect me to have your back if I don't like what I see."

"Oh don't worry my friend," Happosai said with a knowing grin, "she won't disappoint."

* * *

*Author's Note:

Sorry for the sort of short chapter - we'll get more into it in the next one. It's just been a few months and I didn't wanna leave y'all hangin like this for forever :P

So we're starting to unravel the mystery around Tomobiki! But don't be fooled - just because Rinne's been told something doesn't mean he has the whole story. He got his information from the Shirushigami who are in charge of the seal, but the residents of Tomobiki might have their own version of the tale to tell... Stay tuned!

Thanks so much for all the faves and reads and reviews! You readers keep me going and make these updates worth all the time and hard work!


	5. Chapter 5

~The Town that Time Forgot, Chapter Five~

* * *

"I'm tellin' ya, we're just goin' in circles!"

Ignoring the grumbling dog-eared man, Ranma continued forward through the trees with purpose. They'd been traveling almost non-stop since morning, with brief pauses that were far too short a time to boil water, and Ranma was getting tired of being a girl. Despite the shorter legs of her red-haired body, the boy-turned-girl refused to relinquish the lead to the half-demon growling impatiently at the back of their group. She was eager to reach their destination too, and wasn't going to let the newest member of their team question her abilities. Girl-Ranma wasn't going to roll over for the dog; the fact that she was more lost than Ryouga didn't matter. "We've gone as far west as we can – it's gotta be close by!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, folding his hands into his sleeves. "So why not try branching out a little? Go west or somethin'? Not like we could get any more lost than we are."

Ranma turned a glare back on the white-haired man, who met her with a similar expression. Between them, Akane heaved a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Listen you two, your arguing isn't helping things!" Her grumpy companions looked away with a huff, and she ventured in a calmer tone "It's starting to get dark, so why don't we call it a day and get an early start tomorrow?"

"I don't gotta sleep" Inuyasha groused, his eyebrows pinching and eyes narrowed. "I gotta find Kagome as soon as possible. Who knows what kinda trouble she could be in?"

"And who knows what we'll be facing when we get to Tomobiki" Akane argued, already stepping off their well-worn path to look for a clearing among the thick trees. "You should save up your strength. Besides, there's safety in numbers, and _we_ need to rest." Ranma was already following, flicking her red pigtail over the pack on her back and shooting Inuyasha an expectant glance as she breezed past. For a moment the half-demon thought of making good on his threat to set off on his own, restless in his desire to find Kagome and bring her home. But he caught Akane's friendly tone drifting back on the wind, calling for him to join them, and then Ranma's teasing remark that she was going to finish all the ramen if he didn't hurry up… and he found his feet moving off the path.

They were willing to help him, eager to aid a strange half-demon who'd stolen their food and frightened them senseless, and he could just picture Kagome's warm smile were she to see him making friends. He followed, arguing to himself that it was only what _she_ would've done, after all.

* * *

"Wow, I didn't think it'd be so crowded! I wonder if they'll even need us."

Kagome nodded mutely at Rokumon's awed words, sticking close to Sakura as they followed Rinne into the throng of red and white and black and brown. Even in the Feudal Era, with all its temples and shrines, she didn't think she'd ever seen so many priestesses, priests or monks – never in one place anyways. She felt small, and young; the age difference between herself and all the other spiritualists had her already fragile confidence teetering on an edge. How could she possibly make a difference here, when she hadn't used her spiritual powers in three years?

"They'll need us" Rinne assured, his steps steady and expression determined. "The barrier and the spell are complicated – they won't take any chances."

"But the summons!" Rokumon piped in with flailing paws. "We lost the invitation at the Reido crossing! What if they don't count us in!"

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind an extra set of hands," Kagome offered, scratching gently at Rokumon's chin as he sat atop her shoulder and changing the little cat's mood instantly from frantic to blissful. "If it's really that important, I'd be glad to offer my help, invite or no."

Sakura's hand on her shoulder drew her attention, and the brown-haired smiled sympathetically as she explained "I think what they're really worried about is not getting paid." Kagome's eyes shot wide, brows pinching in disbelief, and Rokumon added adamantly from her shoulder "Those Shirushigami wouldn't think twice about stilting us! Rinne-sama, they'll count our services, won't they?"

"They'll need us!" came Rinne's impassioned cry, his fist raised high and red eyes aflame. "And to show them how valuable we are, how much they need not just you, Higurashi-san, but all of us here to help them…" he turned his fiery gaze on the group, stunning them all with the strength and conviction behind that gaze as they hung in the tense air, waiting desperately for his next impressive words, and then finished: "let's just avoid any Shirushigami until this is all over."

Kagome stared, incredulous, as Rinne turned on his heel and began marching into the crowds again. Sakura only sighed, sliding a hand across her forehead as though this were a common headache she'd learned to deal with. Rokumon's green eyes sparkled with loyalty and admiration as a tiny black paw saluted and then patted Kagome's shoulder to prompt her to follow their brave leader, oblivious to her reluctance. She trailed after Sakura, each step convincing her more and more that she was walking further down the path to disaster.

* * *

"Whaddaya mean there's no more ramen?!" The white-haired half-demon and red-haired girl squared off for what had to be the twelfth time that day, one baring fangs and the other baring her fists. Akane tuned the pair out as she added a few more sprigs of thyme to their stew; at least, she thought it was thyme. It looked green and leafy like the other herbs in her cookbooks back home, and when she'd seen it during their walk she'd grabbed a few surreptitious handfuls on the off-chance Ranma let her cook the dinner. Since neither Ranma nor their new travelling companion had contributed to the dinner discussion aside from complaining, Akane was doing as she pleased… including ignoring the pungently sour odor from the soup as she dropped the herbs in to boil.

"It's not like we were packing for three ya know!" Ranma snapped, not backing down in the slightest despite the towering figure before her. "We woulda been just fine if you hadn't snatched our food! Geez, didn't you bother packing or nothin'?"

"There weren't time for that!" Inuyasha bellowed, "We shoulda been there already anyways! If you weren't draggin' your feet the whole time whining about 'hot water' this and 'girly problem' that, we wouldna needed to stop for a meal now anyways!" The two fighters growled, Ranma craning her neck to be able to meet the half-demon's eye as their battle auras stormed about the clearing. Akane had had just about enough of them both.

"Dinner's ready!" At her happy cry the quarrel abruptly stopped, but the announcement was met with very different reactions. Inuyasha's fluffy ears perked, nose twitching as he sidestepped Ranma and blazed an eager path toward the promise of food. The red-head didn't move a muscle, mind racing as she contemplated the quickest route into the shadows and the most believable excuse for being lost in the woods all night. The realization that Inuyasha would probably sniff her out no problem had her biting back a curse, but hope sprung up soon after as she realized the dog would no doubt follow her lead. The two of them probably had the skills to avoid Akane through breakfast too, come to think of it!

But – "RANMA! Now!" – she'd taken too long deliberating, and the window of opportunity to run had just snapped shut. Akane would pile-drive her the moment she came back to camp, and she'd have to eventually. They _were_ on a mission after all. Heaving a condemned man's sigh, Ranma turned on her feet and headed toward the low fire in a ring of stones. They had barely an hour of sunlight left, and already the yellow light of the fire acted as a beacon among the shadowed trees. Inuyasha was seated cross-legged beside the glow, peering into the pot Akane sat happily stirring. His expression had gone from eager to perplexed, and Ranma's inner guy shook its head in sympathy. Inuyasha may be half demon, but Ranma doubted that even his stomach could handle an 'Akane Original.'

"Hey uh… Akane" Inuyasha spoke up suddenly, yellow eyes still glued to the boiling, brownish mess over the fire, "Didn't you say dinner was ready?" Akane's bright eyes left her happy chore to look at Inuyasha with a sweetly confused smile. "Yeah… I mean, maybe it could use a minute or two more to soften the potatoes, though I really can't remember if Tororo potatoes need long to cook or not… but really, it's ready whenever we are!" Inuyasha nodded, not looking any more reassured and continued hesitantly "Great! So… where is it?"

There was a moment where Ranma truly considered her earlier plan to hide out in the woods for the night. Akane was staring across the fire at the half-demon with that same pleasant smile frozen on her face, but the pig-tailed girl could see the rigidness in her shoulders and the whitening of her knuckles as she gripped her stirring spoon. She'd seen these same signs far too often and barely made it out of the aftermath more times than she liked to recall. "Wha-whaddaya mean?" The forced patience in that tone might have fooled a near stranger like Inuyasha, but to Ranma Saotome, Anything-Goes-School Inheritor and long-time Fiancé of one Akane Tendo, she heard the girl's heart shattering as if through the principal's megaphone. Ranma was trudging through the grass to Akane's side before she'd even stopped talking.

Inuyasha however had only heard a question, and in his brashly helpful way set out to answer it. "Well this here can't be it, right? I mean, you're making a medicine or salve or somethin' – you gotta be! You got… at least three poisonous herbs in here, if my nose ain't mistaken, and I know for a fact this mushroom here is pretty much toxic. Though from what I learned off the old hag back home, you mix some of these things together and they can get you pretty good medicinal results. I figured you put the mountain potatoes in to glue it all together and make a treatment we could take with, just in case we gotta fight or somethin'. You can't… you weren't really planning to… eat it, were you?"

Seating herself beside a still unresponsive Akane, Ranma leaned forward to peer into the boiling pot as well; and balked. It was quite a sickly beige color now, and any trace of a potato had long ago broken down in the boil, holding the bruised leaves and torn sprigs in a gelatinous goop. If only she'd asked for help… Ranma could've told her you didn't boil Tororo potatoes. They could've just eaten the things raw, no noxious potions involved, and called it a night! And now she was hurt, and probably mad, and they'd start an argument with Inuyasha all over again, and their trip would take even longer, and –

"Oh! Uh, pfff, of course that's what it is! I just… you know, wanted to be prepared!" Akane laughed, soft and slightly embarrassed, and Ranma watched with wide eyes as her fiancée brushed the incident off her shoulders. "Actually, what I meant earlier was… see, we can't start dinner until the medicine is done, so it's not quite ready yet…."

She reached behind her in the fading light and pulled a few extra Tororo potatoes from beside the log, uncooked and unscrubbed, and before she could say another word, Ranma jumped to her rescue. "Great idea Akane!" The red-head squealed, grabbing a root from the other girl with a wide smile. "Fresh Yama-Imo! One of my fave camping foods! Y'know, pops and I used to eat these things by the dozens. Too bad we don't have some soy sauce, right?" Ignoring the gaping of her fiancée and the piercing gaze of the demon, Ranma pulled over a bucket of extra water from the stream and started washing the dirt from the root.

"Ranma!" Akane gasped, tugging at her red sleeves and pulling her from her work, "we were saving that! I thought you wanted to have some water left over to boil up! You've been wanting to change back all day!" Ranma merely shrugged, turning back to her work before Akane could get too good a look at her face. "Eh, what'd be the point now? I've been like this all day, I can stand another few hours. Besides, I take up less room in the sleeping bag like this! Easier to get warm!" There was another whisper of her name, but Ranma pretended not to hear. She grabbed the next few Tororos from Akane, handing the most recently cleaned one to Inuyasha with a cheeky "Bon Appetit", and didn't say any more on the subject for the rest of the night.

* * *

"Have a seat please, Miss." Firm pressure on Kagome's shoulders folded her to the ground before she could even bother to nod. The cushion under her knees was cheap and hard, and she subtly shifted her legs off to the side; not as refined, but far more comfortable for what was sure to be an extended stay. There were priestesses to either side of her, several feet away and stationed on cushions of their own. They sat in meditation, red and white robes neatly pressed and billowing around them in regal waves. Kagome had long stopped cringing in jealousy every time she saw the hadagi and hakama, but they still made her uneasy; looking down at her blue skirt and pink cardigan she felt more out of place than ever.

"You'll do just fine" Sakura said from behind her, startling the young priestess as she came up to sit beside her. Kagome managed a sheepish smile, and jumped at a sudden weight on her shoulder as Rokumon joined them. "Yeah, don't worry Kagome-sama! They wouldn't have invited you if they didn't think you could do it! Trust me, these Shirushigami look pretty scary, but that's just their job." Laughing gently, Kagome scratched the little cats chin and said "thanks Rokumon, I'll keep that in mind."

"Mamiya Sakura. Nice to see you here… without an invitation." The three startled at the haughty tone of a young man behind them, and Kagome turned to see a Shinigami with short silver hair staring down at them accusingly, his sun-disk scythe resting on his shoulder beneath his crossed arms. Rokumon eeped in alarm, and scrambled to hide in Kagome's hair. "Shirushigami Kain!" he hissed, and taking a tiny gulp, he popped up just enough to address the newcomer. "K-Kain-Sama! Umm… see, Sakura-Sama was just helping us bring our priestess, Kagome-Sama, to the meeting place. We all met up and it just kinda happened and she can stay, right?" Ignoring the little cats word dribble, Kain looked then at Kagome with an expression eerily similar to Sesshomaru. She didn't like it one bit.

"So you're a priestess, huh? I assume you have your summons then." Kagome bit her tongue on a rude retort as she realized she _didn't_ have the summons, and couldn't _prove_ to anyone that she was actually supposed to be there in the first place. Chewing her lip, she met the boy's icy stare, readying herself to give him a piece of her mind and show him just how much they needed her powers, when Sakura's soft voice spoke up beside her "It's with Rokudou-kun." Kagome barely caught herself before surprise could cross her face. Rokumon wasn't so quick. "Sakura-sama!" he gasped, "you know we –"

Plucking him from her shoulder and stroking his fuzzy head, Kagome said quickly "Oh Rokumon-chan, it's okay; you know it's my own fault I don't have it on me. I thought it would be safer with Rokudou-san – I didn't realize they'd be doing checks." She smiled sheepishly at Kain, praying he'd buy it, and after some searching looks of each of their faces, he seemed satisfied. "I'll go track down Rinne-kun then" he said coolly, sweeping his scythe authoritatively through the air. "Suzu! Come on, we're going. … Suzu?" A heavy sigh bent his shoulders, catching Kagome off guard with the sudden normalcy. Turning back to the group with a far more real and approachable look than before, Kain said imply "If you see Suzu, send her my way, will you?" He took a step to go, paused and looked back one more time. "Actually, if you could just… bring her yourself, that would be appreciated. I don't trust her not to get lost again."

A fire lit Rokumon's green eyes, and he popped up from Kagome's arms to shout "How much appreciated?" Kain's expression became tight, his lips pursing, until finally he said thinly "Appreciated enough not to kick you out for losing your paperwork." And without another word he was gone, blending into the crowd of white and brown robes in an obvious hurry. Kagome stared blankly after him.

"W-what was _that_ all about?" Her exasperation brought only a giggle from Sakura and an exhausted sigh from the black cat as he slumped into her hold. "Oh, that was just our friend Kain" Sakura answered, still hiding a laugh behind her hand, "trying to cover up his usual family drama."

Kagome smiled back, tucking Rokumon onto her lap and turning toward her new friend to say "Well now I _have_ to hear!"

* * *

"Hey, Ranma, gimme a hand with this firewood."

The red-haired girl exchanged a look with her companion, but Akane just shrugged her off and pointed her toward the impatient half demon beside a felled log. Heaving a sigh, Ranma trudged towards the man, stopping with hands on her hips and an annoyed expression. "Just whadda you expect me to do with this? Chop it with my bare hands?"

"No," Inuyasha replied gruffly, "I'll chop it with my bare hands, _you'll_ help me carry it."

"Huh!?" Ranma answered with a raised brow, "How are you –" She didn't get to ask any further as Inuyasha's sharp claws suddenly sliced through the wood, cutting perfectly sized logs without the slightest effort. The martial artist's mouth hung like a carp. "Neat trick…" she managed to say after a minute, hardly noticing as the dog-eared man started piling wood into her arms.

"It's easier than usin' the sword" Inuyasha said, his pile of firewood already soaring above his head and still perfectly balance, "and it means I don't have to sharpen the blade as much. Trees do a real number on it – Old Totosai won't let me forget that." He said the name with a roll of his eyes, and Ranma nodded politely – she didn't have a clue what he was talking about, but couldn't believe the strange demon was opening up. "Course my claws can't always do that. I mean if they break or somethin' they grow back in about an hour, but sometimes I don't have 'em." He went quiet for a moment, giving Ranma precious seconds to try and piece together the story his new ally… no, his new friend was sharing. Inuyasha turned to face him in the moonlight then, his eyes bright and vulnerable in a way Ranma hadn't thought they could be, and said "I'm only tellin' ya about this because I already found out about your secret. It's only fair you hear about mine. And… the New Moon is only a few days away anyways. We need to find Tomobiki soon, real soon, cause if we don't, I won't be much help to you guys. See, the night when the moon disappears… I lose my powers. I become human, just like you."

Ranma was speechless. Her voice seemed caught in her throat, her brain had stopped working, and her feet were planted to the moist grass. Had… had Inuyasha, this great warrior who could easily best her in a fight… really just shared his weakness? Just like that? The two fighters stared at each other, Inuyasha's moonlit gaze bright with fear as Ranma fought for words. The half-demon couldn't hold the contact any longer though, and turned to gather more wood. "Hey!" Ranma's voice cut like thunder through the stillness, Inuyasha bolting back up to meet her gaze. "I uh…" pushing past the lump in her throat, Ranma smiled and said "Don't worry about it! We'll find Tomobiki tomorrow, I'm sure of it! We'll get Kagome back, find my cure, and be out of there before nightfall! And besides!" She struck a cocky pose and continued "Me and 'Kane are just normal old humans, and we get by pretty well in a fight! If worst comes to worst, we'll be just fine!"

Inuyasha scoffed, but Ranma saw the grin he had tried to hide. "I know humans can be strong – I just don't want you guys havin' to cover for my sorry ass in a fight is all. Sure I'm causin' you enough trouble as it is."

"Woah now, no goin' all Ryoga on me! I don't need any more guilt trips, ya hear?" She smiled and stepped closer, shifting the wood to one arm as she placed a hand on the half-demon's shoulder. "You've helped us get way farther out here than we would on our own. And let's face it! We're a lot safer with a demon around! Er… half-demon, sorry." Inuyasha shrugged, and Ranma frowned as she thought for more ways to cheer the man up. "Besides, you, uh… you saved us from Akane's cooking earlier! We probably both woulda been dead if it weren't for that!"

Inuyasha laughed lightly then, brushing Ranma away and walking with the firewood back to their camp. "I still can't figure out how she was plannin' to eat that. Is that normal for her?"

"Oh yeah," Ranma said, jogging a bit to keep up on her shorter legs, "that's life with Akane! Not like I could stop her though. She's been getting lessons, but she doesn't always like following them. I don't know what I'm gonna do when we finally get married and it's just me and her, with no one to watch her in the kitchen!" Ranma laughed then, adding "Maybe I'll be the housewife and she can run the Dojo!"

It took her a moment to realize her friend had stopped, and she turned to see Inuyasha watching her with shock. "… What?"

"You guys are getting married?"

Ranma looked around, confusion all over her face, and finally responded "uh… yeah? Didn't we tell you? We've been engaged for like… years. Our dads arranged it when we were kids." Inuyasha was still giving her that 'hit with a fish' look, and she wasn't liking it. "Listen, I don't know what's so weird about it, I mean, I know the curse is strange to some people, but –"

"But you were being mean to her."

That shut Ranma up, and almost kept her silent for the rest of the night. She was about ready to chuck the wood at this demon's head and march off into the forest for the second time that night, but shame kept her rooted to the spot. She hadn't been… _so_ mean. She'd been getting a lot better. Akane didn't get annoyed with her _nearly_ as much as she used to. Ranma was just opening her mouth to respond when Inuyasha beat her to it.

"I guess you're scared, huh."

As if Ranma could get any quieter. The distant crackle of their campfire roared like the ocean in her ears, and her lips clamped firmly shut. "It's okay" Inuyasha continued unprompted, "I know how it goes. I used to be the same way to Kagome. She meant the world to me, and I was scared to lose her, so I lashed out. For a while I thought it'd be better if she just weren't around, so neither of us could get hurt. It was a stupid idea though, and I'm glad we both figured it out, in our own time." He looked off, reminiscing, his eyes shining under the night sky, but suddenly that gaze turned fervently back to the red-head. "It took me too damn long to pull my head outta my ass and realize I was just wasting time. All those days together, we coulda been happy. Then she was taken away, and for three years I was living without my heart, without the best part of my life, all because I was too stupid and proud to acknowledge what I had when it was right in front of me."

Ranma swallowed, too overcome to say a word and filled with a sudden and frightening longing to hold Akane. She saw the black-haired girl as a tiny doll, cradled in large and trembling hands as her voice pleaded for the girl to return to normal, to return to him. "You don't gotta go through that, y'know." Inuyasha said gruffly, eyes flickering back to the camp behind the martial artist. "Forget the stupid curse. You've got this amazing girl with you right now, and you have a chance to spend your life with her. Don't screw it up like I did and wait and wait until it's too damn late to let her know what she is to you. The world is too cruel for you to take your time. And time is always your enemy." Words ending on a growl, he stormed past Ranma, and the martial artist could have sworn she felt a cold draft pass through her in the half-demon's wake, sending a chill up her spine.

* * *

"C'mon Rokudou! Just a little further round and we'll be there!"

"And where" Sabato wheezed, bent almost double under the wrapped ax across his back, "exactly is 'there'? We've been circling this barrier for ages! Happi, dear friend…" he reached forward, and plucked the old man off the ground, salted axed and all, "is this some wild goose chase to get me lost so you can have Tomobiki all to yourself?"

A precise kick to the Shinigami's wrist had Happosai falling to the dirt, but the agile old man caught himself with his borrowed tool, using the wooden ax handle to propel himself into a leap and land gracefully on his feet again. "Now now Sabato" he said grinning, "Don't go turning on me just yet. I said I'd get you there, and I meant it! Are you really doubting your old friend Happi?" The tall man's smile never wavered, but it had Happosai sweating. "Okay, have it your way" he pouted, walking a few steps forward and leaning back against the invisible barrier. "I guess I won't tell you then that we've made it."

Sabato's eyes went wide, back straightening and strength returning as he too approached the bubble-like shield surrounding the sleeping city. He peered through into the tall trees on the other side… and saw nothing but more forest. "Happosai…" his voice was a cheerful threat, "what am I supposed to be seeing here?" The tiny martial artist had turned his ax upside down, sitting balanced atop the wooden pole, and peered in beside his friend at almost eye level. "What, you don't see it?!" The red-haired man gave him a peeved look, but Happosai's grubby finger poked into the membrane of the seal as he shouted "There! It's right there! It's made of bone for crying out loud, how are you not seeing it?"

The old man's outburst was odd enough to get Sabato to take a second look, and when he did… he saw it. A bird… or, something bird-shaped anyways, running down the forest path toward them. Only, it wasn't really running: it had been frozen in time long ago, touching the ground with only the tip of one claw as it propelled itself forward away from… from what? "Just what exactly am I seeing?" he asked, a bit of awe slipping into his voice at the sight of the strange creature.

"It's a made-up monster. There's no name for it son, 'cept maybe monstrosity. All you need to know about that thing is that some dumb punk put it together out of fossils found down in the mountains, and those folk in Tomobiki were able to bring it to life!" The Shinigami paused, his interest soaring. "You mean… like a Tsukumogami Sticker?" Happosai snorted, and Sabato grew even more intrigued. "Nooo, nothing as silly as that! Those only last a little while, and only while the sticker is on the item. This fellow had been terrorizing the woods around here a couple years before the city-wide seal took affect! Rokudou, you're not seeing the big picture here! This is technology that creates life! Out of… well, nothing! Death even! _There's_ something worth a pawn, eh my friend?" Sabato nodded, but he had a greater goal in mind than a pawn shop trade this time.

"But like I said, this crazy creature isn't why we walked halfway around the barrier dragging these axes. Take a closer look – past the creature. Happen to see what he's running from?" Sabato looked harder, straining his mauve eyes to find a pursuer, and thought he spotted something flesh and fabric against the canopy. "Is that…."

"Yup, that's a person in there, and not just any person! That there is our ticket to success!" Sabato gladly gave the old man his full attention as Happosai explained with glee "I met him a couple times on my visits. He's a monk; not much interested in _my_ noble work, but he'll talk for the right price! If I remember correctly, all we need are some snacks and a restaurant charge account, and he can get us anything we ask for!" Sabato hummed thoughtfully, staring through the trees at the tiny figure which, now that he really looked, seemed to be floating in midair.

"Well, I guess another ally couldn't hurt!" He said brightly, "So long as we don't have to split the earnings too many ways after this. I have a lot of creditors you know!" Happosai laughed, hopping down from the ax handle and making himself comfortable against the barrier. "Nah, that's the last of 'em" he chuckled, removing his small pack and laying it on the ground as a pillow. The sun was just starting to set, but there was nowhere else for them to go for the night – they'd have to wait for the priests and priestesses to remove the barrier before going any further. "Night Rokudou!" he said, and within minutes he was out, mumbling about 'panties' and 'fine delicates' in his sleep.

Sabato sat a few feet away, but gave it a good twenty minutes before he was convinced the old man was truly asleep. Sleep was the last thing on Sabato's mind, with his goal so close at hand. Sparing one last glance at the old goat, the Shinigami reached into the fold of his robe and pulled out an ID card tethered to a chain about his neck. It was still bright and vibrant despite its age, and the picture smiling back at him was of a face that hadn't aged very much beyond what the portrait showed. He didn't dare bring the picture out in front of Happosai – he knew the old man far too well to trust him around the women in his life – and truth be told, he didn't like others knowing about his… soft spot.

'Otome Rokudou' smiled back at him in the waning light, her eyes sparkling as if – even now – she could read his mind and see the plot boiling in its depth. She'd always been able to read him like a book. "Don't hate me Mama" he whispered to the tiny image of his wife as she'd been several lives ago. His thoughts drifted to the little girl who now held the woman's soul, whose rude awakening to her former life left the child Ichigo leading a double life, and his resolve hardened. "You said yourself you wanted to watch Rinne grow up. It's not too late, you know. Not as long as I find what I'm looking for in this place."

A snoring grunt startled Sabato out of his reverie, and he hastily stuffed the photo back into his robe. The old pervert wouldn't find out about Otome _or_ Ichigo – it was the least he could do for them now. Once they got inside Tomobiki, once he had an idea of where all this otherworldly power was kept, the old freak was on his own. Glancing back through the darkening forest at the fossil-bird and frozen monk, Sabato wrapped himself further into his robes and settled against the barrier, his mind whirling with plans for tomorrow.

* * *

*Author's Note:

To all those still interested in this story... Ummm, I have nothing else to say but sorry, and I hope you like this chapter, even though we haven't hit much action yet. NEXT. CHAPTER. This stuff had to happen. Seriously. STAY TUNED! PRAY ITS NOT ANOTHER YEAR!

Also, if you've been with this story since the beginning, or just joined us recently, or have any comments to share or love to pass along: I LOVE YOU. SO MUCH. Thank you guys, you keep me going!


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